Mumbai: 26/11-like attack threat from Pakistan number puts cops on alert | Mumbai News

RPF personnel keep vigil at CSMT and inside a local train

MUMBAI: The city police sounded an alert after the traffic police helpline number got a series of messages on Friday night from a Pakistan number threatening an attack similar to the 26/11 terror attacks.
The WhatsApp message also warned that at least six people were already in India to execute the attack soon to revive the memories of 26/11. A 22-year-old from Virar has been detained as his number featured among the messages.
Police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar said it is possible the mobile number was hacked to send the messages. “At the same time, we have taken the threats seriously. The crime branch will be probing the matter. We want to assure Mumbaikars Mumbai is safe and we are taking all security measures and coordinating with central agencies. The ATS has also been roped in,” he said.
Lahore man claims his phone hacked 2 days ago
The crime branch on Friday detained a 22-year-old man from Virar whose number featured in one of the threat messages,warning of a 26/11-like attack, received by the police helpline. Besides this, one more number of a police officer from UP is seen in the message. In one of the messages, the sender said, “Mumbai ko udane ka taiyari kar rahe hai. UP ATS karwana chahti hai Mumbai Udana. Main Pakistan se.” The sender also mentioned contact numbers of seven Indians and mentioned, “Aapke kuch mere saath hai. Jo Mumbai ko udana chahta hai.”
When a journalist from a news channel called up the mobile number from where the messages were sent, the person who attended the call identified himself as Imtiaz and said he works in a civic body in Lahore and his mobile phone was hacked two days ago. He further said he has not sent any such message and he doesn’t use a smartphone and doesn’t know how to type. The person who hacked the mobile may have sent the message, he said, adding he would be filing a police complaint.
In one of the deadliest terror attacks, 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan entered the city by the sea and carried out an attack on November 26, 2008. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive, was subsequently hanged.
A case under the Indian Penal Code’sSsection 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) has been registered with Worli police and the crime branch is probing. The number through which the messages were sent showed the country code (+92) as “Pakistan”.
The crime branch is also probing whether the threat message was sent using a spoofing app. Spoofing is when an attacker impersonates an authorized device or user to steal data, spread malware, or bypass access control systems.
According to police, the sender threatened that “six people in India would carry out the attack which will have a greater impact than 26/11 or the killing of a tailor in Udaipur or murder of Sidhu Moosewala.”. “The message said the city would be blown up. There was also mention of 26/11 attacks terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,” said Phansalkar.
Phansalkar said security had been enhanced for the last two days because of festivals. He added police have launched the ‘Sagar Kavach’ operation in coastal areas following seizure of three AK-74 rifles and ammunition from an unmanned yacht at Harihareshwar on Wednesday.
A senior officer of the crime branch said it appears Imtiaz was telling the truth.