On 26 June 2026, during the Muharram procession in Mumbai, a man was arrested for allegedly distributing poisonous capsules to participants. According to reports, one man was admitted to hospital after developing vomiting and stomach pain upon consuming one of the capsules. Subsequently, 11 similar cases came to light, and the victims have received medical treatment.

Mumbai police have arrested a 39-year-old man who was allegedly distributing capsules to participants during the Muharram procession by claiming that these capsules were painkillers and immunity boosters. Police personnel deployed during the procession had noticed a suspicious man distributing capsules among participants and took him into custody for questioning. Initial police investigations indicate that the capsules contained zinc phosphide, a highly toxic rodenticide (rat poison).

Police have seized 14,900 capsules so far, and a detailed forensic examination is underway. The accused is known to run a paint business and had sourced chemicals through his trade, as well as ordered capsules online. He has confessed to the police that he wanted to kill at least 15,000 people. It has been found that the accused had procured 50 kg of zinc phosphide and 30,000 empty capsules and was known to be filling them over 15 days.[1] It appears that the motive behind this act was to cause mass casualties.

The threat of mass casualty terrorism is not new. On 11 September 2001 (9/11), the United States (US) was subjected to a complex, coordinated, and devastating terrorist attack, killing around 3,000 people. The 26 November 2008 (26/11) Mumbai terror attack undertaken by Pakistan-sponsored Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group led to the killing of 166 people. In another mass killing incident on the night of 20 March 2000, 36 innocent Sikh villagers in Chittisinghpora village of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir lost their lives. It was the handiwork of a terrorist organisation, the Hizbul-Mujahideen.[2] On 22 April 2025, the shocking terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir........

© IDSA