A 'Noble Deed' Claim Behind Toxic Pills Plot At Mumbai Muharram Procession

Fresh details have emerged in the probe against the man caught handing out poisonous capsules under the garb of painkillers at a Muharram procession in Mumbai's Byculla area.Fayyaz Premji allegedly secured help from others by branding his activity as a "noble deed", said sources.He was arrested during an Ashura procession on Friday while he was distributing the pills that allegedly contained Zinc Phosphide, or simply rat poison, passing it off as a painkiller and immunity booster.The police have now uncovered a sinister plot to distribute huge quantities of the poison among people. They have found that he had ordered 30,000 capsules and 50 kg of the poison.Read: "Wanted To Kill 15,000": Mumbai Man Caught With Toxic Pills At Muharram EventHe allegedly confessed he "wanted to kill 15,000 people" using the pills, sources said.When NDTV visited his neighbourhood in Pune, locals stated that he had lost his mental balance since his marriage fell apart.15 Days Of PreparationPremji arrived from Pune about 15 days ago and spent the last two weeks in Hotel Sun Dormitory in Dongri, sources said. This is where he is believed to have hatched the entire conspiracy and prepared the poisonous pills.The police have recovered about 14,900 pills from him that he allegedly wanted to distribute among the people. But he knew this couldn't be done single-handedly. So, he enlisted several others for distribution purposes, claiming it's a virtuous act, said sources, adding that he handed over large quantities of the pill to them.Salman Sayed and Ali Abbas Sayed were among the 11 people whose health had deteriorated after taking the pill. Salman Sayed stated that he received the pill from a woman who fed the pills to her children. Ali Abbas Sayed alleged that he was told that the pill was a vitamin supplement.Premji's plan was exposed when three women volunteers found the distribution of pills alarming and alerted the police. They also cracked open a pill and found a powder inside. An announcement was then made over the loudspeaker -- asking people not to consume the pill. Eventually, the distribution was stopped, and Premji was arrested at his hotel.'Lost Mental Balance'Premji had grown up in Konark Nagar township in Pune's Viman Nagar. His father owned a paint factory, and his mother and sister live in Iran. It is learnt that he visited Iran and Iraq last year and worked there for a month or two. He made 19 such trips between 2019 and 2025.Subsequently, he returned to India and started helping his father in his business. When NDTV visited his locality, his neighbours claimed that his wife had left him and his "mental balance had deteriorated" since.A case has been registered against him at the Byculla police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc, with intent to commit an offence). The police are probing any potential terror link and the masterminds behind the distribution of the poisonous pills.(With inputs from Ruttik Ganakwar and Yashpal Sonkamble)