50 kg Poison, 30,000 Pills, Iran Trips: Mumbai Accused's '15,000 Deaths' Plan

Fayyaz Premji aimed to kill 15,000 people. And he displayed a chilling ingenuity in his quest to achieve this sinister goal.He made thousands of poisonous capsules, targeted a Muharram procession in Mumbai and attempted to distribute them among people, claiming they were painkillers and immunity boosters.Many of those who consumed these pills fell seriously ill. The police arrested Premji and recovered pills laced with Zinc Phosphide, a compound used in rat poison.Salman Syed and Ali Abbas, two men who consumed the toxic pills, said they were told that the capsules were a vitamin supplement and an immunity booster. Immediately after eating the tablets, they started vomiting.The accused couldn't distribute all the pills alone. So he asked several volunteers to hand out the capsules at the religious procession. He had told the unsuspecting men and women that they were helping people by distributing the capsules.Sources said at least 11 people had fallen ill after consuming the pills. They were rushed to a nearby hospital and are out of danger now.Who Is Fayyaz Premji?While his motivation behind the crime is unclear as of now, several pieces of information linked to him have surfaced, including his frequent visits to Iran and Iraq.Premji was arrested on June 27 near the Rahmatabad graveyard. He is a native of Pune's Viman Nagar. He is divorced and runs a painting business in the city.His mother and sister live in Iran. Between 2019 and 2025, he made several trips to the Middle Eastern countries.Over the last 12 months, he visited the two nations 19 times.Police are examining his financial transactions, mobile phone records, digital communications, and contacts to determine whether he was alone in orchestrating the plot or whether a larger terrorist network or external handlers were involved.Police investigations have revealed that preparations for the massacre had been meticulously planned for 15 days.Fayaz rented a room in Mumbai's Dongri area, using it as his base. The accused had ordered 50 kg of zinc phosphide and 30,000 empty capsules online.Fayyaz had been filling these empty capsules with poison, one by one, for several days. Each capsule contained approximately one gram of poison.Police recovered a cache of poison and approximately 15,000 prepared capsules from his room in Dongri. His goal was to prepare a total of 30,000 capsules and distribute them during the procession.According to the sources, the accused has allegedly confessed that he wanted to kill "15,000 people".Also read: A 'Noble Deed' Claim Behind Toxic Pills Plot At Mumbai Muharram ProcessionWhat Is Zinc Phosphide?Zinc Phosphide is a rodenticide. Farmers use the compound to keep rats from destroying their crops. If left untreated, it can prove fatal to humans.Once in the stomach, it reacts with hydrochloric acid and releases 'phosphine gas'. This gas directly attacks the body's cells and vital organs. Its symptoms develop rapidly, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhoea, dizziness, and headache. In severe cases, it can cause fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary oedema), heart attack, and liver and kidney failure. Even a few hundred milligrams is enough to kill a person.Also read: "Wanted To Kill 15,000": Mumbai Man Caught With Toxic Pills At Muharram EventThe accused has been charged under sections 109, 110, and 123 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including attempt to murder and poisoning.The Mumbai Police, along with the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other central agencies, are investigating the case. The seized capsules have been sent for forensic examination.