Mumbai Traffic Police Said to Be Investigating WhatsApp Message Threatening 26/11-Type Terror Attack

Mumbai Police is investigating a WhatsApp message warning of a “26/11-like” terror attack in the city received on the WhatsApp number of the Mumbai Police Traffic Control from a Pakistan-based number police sources said on Saturday. The message said that six people will execute the attack in India. The Mumbai Police has initiated a probe on an immediate basis, sources said, adding that security agencies have put on alert.

The WhatsApp message talked of reviving memories of the attacks on November 26, 2008 in which Pakistan terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out strikes across Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar today said that the state government should take the threat seriously and probe the issue.

This development comes after a security scare on Thursday when a boat carrying AK 47, rifles, guns and ammunition was found on the Harihareshwar beach in the Raigad district of the state. Following the boat’s recovery, Maharshtra Police has been asked to stay vigilant.

According to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the boat belongs to an Australian citizen. “Boat’s engine broke out in the sea, people were rescued by a Korean boat. It has now reached Harihareshwar beach. Keeping in mind the coming festive season, police and the administration have been instructed to be prepared,” he said.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan arrived by sea route and opened fire, killing hundreds of people, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others in Mumbai.

Nine terrorists were later killed by the security forces, including the NSG, the country’s elite commando force. Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.