3 min readMumbaiJun 28, 2026 04:45 AM IST A man from Pune was arrested Saturday for allegedly distributing capsules filled with zinc phosphide, widely used as a rat poison, in an attempt to carry out “mass poisoning” at a Muharram procession of the Shia community in south Mumbai Friday night, police said. Police identified the arrested man as 39-year-old Faiyaz Premji and said he told them he was a Shia, and that he had 14,000 capsules with zinc phosphide in a blue plastic bag. According to police, Premji was a Pune resident who stayed in a dormitory in the city before checking into a hotel in south Mumbai where he received delivery of the capsules. Police claimed he told them that he intended to harm those who had gathered for the Muharram procession. Officers are now questioning him to determine the motive. Zinc phosphide, a rodenticide, is commonly used to kill rats. It is also used as a single-dose poison in agricultural fields. DCP Jayant Meena said the case came to light after employees of a …