26/11-like attack threat: Switched off numbers worry Mumbai cops

Police and RPF personnel check a suspicious bag at Chinchpokli railway station, on Tuesday. Pic/ANI

Four mobile phone numbers, which were shared with the Mumbai traffic police in a message warning of 26/11-type terror attacks, are keeping the intelligence agencies and the Crime Branch on their toes. Reason: these numbers have been switched off since February, according to sources.

Last week, an unknown person, believed to be from Pakistan, sent a WhatsApp message to the number of the traffic police department, sources said. The person shared 10 mobile numbers, claiming that the people these belong to are planning terror attacks in the city, like the ones in 2008, and Udaipur-like beheadings, too.

Immediately, a special team of the Mumbai Crime Branch was formed to investigate the claims. Crime Branch sources said nine numbers are from Uttar Pradesh, including eight from Bijnor district and one from Muzaffarnagar, and the tenth from Haryana.

Also Read: Mumbai police suspect role of Doha man in ‘26/11-type' threat

The Crime Branch, with the help of Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squad, located five Bijnor numbers - four were in UP and one was in Vasai. The Vasai man, a barber, arrived in the city earlier this week and has been interrogated extensively over the past four days, while others are being grilled in UP. Another team of the Mumbai Crime Branch is interrogating the tenth suspect in Haryana.

Sources said one of the four numbers has been switched off since February, while two numbers since July and one since August. "We are worried, as these numbers are switched off. We have collected their call detail record and the search is on to trace these," an officer of the Maharashtra police said.

Also Read: Mumbai attack threat: Police to travel to Haryana and UP as some numbers traced in other states

The Crime Branch is unable to establish the origin city/state/nation of the message, but the IP location is of the United Kingdom. "However, we are not sure about the IP address because the sender may have used a Virtual Private Network (VPN). All efforts are being made to find the origin of the message," the officer added.

Sources are not ruling out terror angle, as the investigation is still at the preliminary stage. People currently being questioned in UP, Haryana and Vasai don't have any criminal past and have not been found to be involved in any suspicious activities, they added.

10
No of phone nos. sent with the threat text