3 min readMumbaiJun 28, 2026 10:02 PM IST
The Byculla police who are probing the alleged mass-poisoning conspiracy at the Muharram procession have questioned the accused’s family in Pune, while another police team is tracing the source of the suspected zinc phosphide used to fill thousands of capsules.
A team from the Byculla police visited the Pune residence of the accused, Faiyaz Premji and recorded the statements of his family members, including his father. Simultaneously, another team is trying to identify the supplier of the suspected zinc phosphide. Preliminary investigation suggests that Premji procured the chemical from outside Mumbai, a police officer said. He was produced before a court on Saturday and remanded to police custody till Monday for further investigation.
Premji was arrested for allegedly attempting to carry out mass poisoning during the Shia community’s Muharram procession in south Mumbai on Friday night by distributing capsules allegedly laced with zinc phosphide, a chemical commonly used as rat poison. Police recovered 14,900 capsules allegedly containing zinc phosphide from his possession. The seized capsules have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina for chemical analysis.
“At present, the allegation that the capsules contained zinc phosphide is based on the accused’s statement. The FSL report is awaited,” an officer said. Investigators are also analysing Premji’s call data records (CDR) to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in the alleged conspiracy.
The 39-year-old Pune resident had been staying in a dormitory before checking into a hotel in south Mumbai nearly two weeks ago, where he allegedly received the delivery of the capsules. The incident came to light after a hospital informed police that a man had been admitted with vomiting and severe stomach cramps after consuming a capsule that had allegedly been distributed as a “painkiller” during the procession.
About an hour earlier, police personnel on bandobast duty had noticed Premji distributing capsules, similar to other volunteers offering refreshments and medicines to participants, and had noted down his name and mobile number. Following the hospital’s alert, police launched a search for Premji. During this time, two women volunteers allegedly spotted him throwing capsules into the crowd and detained him before alerting the police, who subsequently arrested him in the Byculla area, an officer said.
During interrogation, Premji allegedly confessed that he intended to target the Muharram procession. According to the police, he claimed to have ordered 30,000 empty capsules online and 50 kg of zinc phosphide, filling each capsule with around one gram of the chemical. He allegedly distributed the capsules by falsely claiming they were painkillers, an officer said.
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Ashura, observed on the tenth day of Muharram, draws thousands of members of the Shia community from across the city, who mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The annual procession begins near the JJ Flyover junction and culminates at Arambaug cemetery. Police said Premji is a BBA graduate who manages his father’s paint manufacturing business in Pune. His mother and sister currently reside in Iran. He is married but is reportedly estranged from his wife, who lives separately.