Mumbai on high alert after threat of 34 ‘human bombs’ across city

The threat, made by a group calling itself Lashkar-e-Jihadi, warned of blasts that would “shake the entire city”

Heavy police security infront of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Credit/Hindustan Times

Mumbai Police said they are on high alert after receiving a threat call claiming that 34 vehicles carrying “human bombs” and 400kg of RDX had been planted across the city.

The caller warned of blasts that would “shake the entire city”, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday.

Police said the call was received on the traffic police helpline and was issued in the name of an organisation calling itself Lashkar-e-Jihadi.

The warning came on the eve of Anant Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival that draws large crowds in Mumbai. Security across the state of Maharashtra has been tightened in response.

According to the threat, the explosives-laden cars would be used to kill as many as 10 million people, Hindustan Times said.

Officials have not confirmed the credibility of the threat but said preventive measures are under way.

The Hindustan Times report noted that the call follows a spate of recent hoax threats in and around Mumbai.

On Monday, police in Maharashtra’s Thane district arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly calling a helpline to falsely claim that a bomb had been planted at Kalwa railway station.

In August, the ISKCON Temple in Mumbai’s Girgaon area received a bomb threat email, prompting an overnight search by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad. Nothing suspicious was found, and police later classified the message as a hoax. The temple reported a similar threat again the following month, Hindustan Times reported.

Earlier in July, police were called to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after a caller threatened a blast at Terminal 2. A thorough search did not uncover anything suspicious.

Authorities said investigations into Friday’s call were continuing.