3 min readMumbaiJun 30, 2026 07:59 AM IST
Faiyaz Premji (39), the Pune-based man accused of plotting to poison mourners during a Muharram procession in south Mumbai, has told investigators that he developed anti-religious sentiments after losing the Jamaat (community) elections in 2015.
According to police, Premji said his defeat convinced him that his “reformist views” had little support within the Khoja Shia community, prompting him to gradually distance himself from the faith.
In earlier public statements, Premji had said that around 2015-16 he became associated with a small group of like-minded Khoja Shias in Mumbai that advocated reforms within the community. He had claimed the group promoted a more liberal interpretation of Islam and questioned conservative religious practices.
Premji had also alleged that his criticism of religious leaders and institutions led to sustained harassment, claiming complaints were filed against him, his business in Pune was vandalised, and he was socially ostracised.
Over the past decade, Premji appeared on several podcasts describing himself as an “ex-Muslim” who no longer believed in the tenets of Islam.
“He blamed the community for the breakdown of his marriage and that of his brother. There was simmering resentment over the years, which eventually led him to take this extreme step,” a police officer said.
Debarred by Pune Jamaat
Meanwhile, the Pune Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat (KSIJ) issued a statement announcing that Premji had been debarred from the organisation. Police, however, said they were yet to ascertain whether he had contested the 2015 elections in the Mumbai or Pune KSIJ.
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The Pune KSIJ alleged that Premji had, over several years, engaged in conduct detrimental to the interests of the community. It accused him of defaming the Jamaat’s trustees and members and alleged that he had been involved in several physical altercations that created difficulties for the community.
No clarity on victim count
Sources said the FIR was initially registered based on one person who was admitted to hospital after consuming a capsule, but investigators suspect there may have been more victims.
“Some may have self-medicated while others may have been admitted to hospitals. We are trying to ascertain how many people actually consumed the capsules,” a source said.
Premji first came under suspicion when volunteers noticed him distributing pills during the Muharram procession, claiming they were painkillers.
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While food and water are routinely distributed along the procession route, ambulances also accompany participants to treat injuries sustained during self-flagellation.
“No one usually distributes pills. Volunteers became suspicious and alerted policemen deployed for bandobast,” a source said.
Police recorded Premji’s name and phone number and initially allowed him to leave.
Later, after a hospital informed police that a person had been admitted with vomiting and stomach ailments after consuming one of the capsules, officers linked the case to the earlier complaint. Premji was traced near the procession route, detained and formally arrested on Saturday.
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He was produced before a court, which remanded him to six days of police custody.
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