Mumbai attack threat: Cops quiz Virar man for second day in row

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police probing the threat messages warning of a ”26/11-like” attack on the city questioned the man detained from neighbouring Virar on the second consecutive day on Sunday, an official said.

The messages were received on WhatsApp on a helpline number of the traffic police’s Worli control room around 11:45 on Friday night warning of a ”26/11-like” attack on the city from a phone number with Pakistan’s country code.

Subsequently, a man was detained from Virar in the Palghar district who was quizzed by the Mumbai crime branch, officials had said on Saturday.

”The crime branch probing the case questioned the Virar resident on Saturday afternoon before he was allowed to go late at night. He was called for questioning again on Sunday morning,” the official said on Sunday night.

He said the police are verifying the details of the numbers mentioned in the threat messages. While one message said that six people will execute the attack, another said preparations were on to blow up Mumbai which will bring back the memories of the 26/11 attack, officials had said.

Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar had said that prima facie, the threat messages came from a number that has the country code of Pakistan.

Police were also investigating the numbers and persons mentioned in the messages, he had said, adding that these numbers were Indian ones.

A squad of ten Pakistani terrorists, including Ajmal Kasab, had arrived in Mumbai by sea route on November 26, 2008, and launched terror attacks at various places killing 166 persons and wounding several others.