The accused has been identified as Fayyaz Premji, a resident of Pune. According to investigators, several people participating in the Muharram procession consumed the capsules after they were told they were painkillers. Shortly afterward, many complained of nausea and severe uneasiness, while some reportedly lost consciousness.
During interrogation, Premji allegedly admitted that he wanted to “take revenge on the world” following the collapse of his marriage two years ago. Investigators said he claimed that he believed the world had turned against him after his wife separated from him and that he intended to avenge his personal suffering by causing mass casualties during the religious procession.
Deepak Sawant, Senior Police Inspector at Byculla Police Station, said investigators are also examining the accused's mental condition. “After questioning him, it appears that he is mentally disturbed,” Sawant said, adding that officials are attempting to determine whether Premji had been receiving psychiatric treatment.
Investigators also discovered that the accused's mother and sister are living in Iran and that he had remained in regular contact with them. Police have sent his mobile phone for forensic examination to determine the nature of his communications with individuals in Iran. According to investigators, Premji had previously worked in Iraq and Iran, where his sister is employed as a doctor.
The incident occurred during the Muharram procession on Friday evening, which began at Noor Baug in Dongri and proceeded toward Rehmat Baug Cemetery through Hancock Bridge in Maharashtra.
The complainant, Salman Sayyad, a 26-year-old resident of Govandi employed at a bag manufacturing unit, told police that he had paused during the ritual procession when a woman wearing a burqa approached him and offered capsules, claiming they were painkillers. Police said several participants, including Sayyad, swallowed the capsules, while others accepted tablets that were allegedly handed over by Premji for distribution among devotees.
Soon after consuming the capsules, several participants began experiencing nausea, discomfort and uneasiness. Police personnel deployed along the procession briefly stopped Premji, recorded his personal details and allowed him to leave.
However, after the condition of those who had consumed the capsules deteriorated overnight, officers conducted a raid at the guest house in Dongri where Premji had been staying. During the search, police recovered approximately 14,900 capsules allegedly containing Zinc Phosphide, a highly toxic rodenticide capable of causing fatal poisoning.
A police officer familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that around 14,900 capsules containing Zinc Phosphide were recovered during the operation, following which Premji was arrested.
Medical experts explained that Zinc Phosphide reacts with stomach acid to release phosphine gas when swallowed or inhaled. The gas enters the bloodstream and can cause severe oxygen deprivation at the cellular level, multiple organ failure, refractory shock and, in many cases, death.
Premji, who works with his father at their paint manufacturing unit in Pune, has been charged under Sections 109, relating to attempt to murder, 110, relating to attempt to commit culpable homicide, and 123, relating to causing hurt by means of poison or similar substances, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The investigation remains ongoing as police continue to examine the accused's background, mental health, international contacts and the full extent of the alleged conspiracy. The recovery of nearly 15,000 poisonous capsules and the alleged admission of a planned mass poisoning have made the case one of the most serious criminal investigations linked to a religious procession
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