Deadly poison plot foiled at Muharram procession

In a swift operation that prevented what could have been a catastrophic mass poisoning, Mumbai Police have arrested a 39-year-old Pune businessman for allegedly attempting to distribute thousands of capsules laced with deadly rat poison during a Muharram procession in the Byculla area.

The accused, identified as Faiyaz (or Fayyaz) Premji, a paint business owner from Viman Nagar in Pune who was staying at a guest house in Dongri, was detained late on Friday night by the Byculla police. Police recovered 14,900 capsules filled with zinc phosphide, a highly toxic substance used in rat poison, from his possession. Each capsule reportedly contained around one gram of the poison. 

Premji had allegedly ordered 30,000 empty capsules online and procured nearly 50 kilograms of zinc phosphide. 

According to police, he planned to distribute the capsules among participants in the Muharram procession in the JJ and Byculla areas, disguising them as painkillers or immunity boosters. 
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone-I) Jayant Meena said, “A Mumbai Police patrol team spotted a man distributing capsules to people participating in the Muharram procession. Becoming suspicious, the police 

seized all the capsules in his possession. For this purpose, he had allegedly procured 50 kilograms of zinc phosphide, a poisonous substance, and had also ordered 30,000 
empty capsules.”