ATS found that ISIS Suspects planned to poison prasad at Mumbra temple

Sources said that the Maharashtra ATS team visited the Mumbra temple on January 28, along with one ISIS suspect, identified as Tala Potrik, in order to gather information about their supposed plan.

The suspect reportedly first led the ATS team to the kitchen where he revealed that they had gathered information about the catering staff, who were present on the day when a Shrimadh Bhagwat Katha was organised last year. Following the Katha, the trust had also organised a ‘Bhandara’ which was attended by thousands of devotees who consumed the ‘Shiv Prasad’ distributed at the venue.

As per reports, Potrik confessed that he had attempted to poison the Prasad on that day but was unable to do so. Following his unsuccessful attempt, the suspect had decided to execute his plan again on March 4 this year, on the day of Shiv Ratri, when thousands of people are expected to attend the function at the temple and possibly consume the ‘Mahaprasad’

Meanwhile, the temple trust has written to the Thane Commissioner of Police and has asked him to provide police security during mega events at the temple, as the a large number of devotees are expected to visit the temple on the occasion of Shivratri.

In a related development, during the course of the investigation, the police also discovered that the terrorists had decided to target a BMC-run hospital in Nagpada in South Mumbai as well. Sources said that the cops have procured WhatsApp chats of a group called Ummat-e-Mohammadia and several chats of one Jainam Kuttepadi.

Reportedly, Kuttepadi worked as a pharmacist at a Mumbai-central based BMC hospital, and was allegedly in touch with one of the ISIS handler. Kuttepadi is said to have revealed to the ATS that he had planned to poison the medicines at the hospital by pouring a dangerous chemical on the medicines, which could have affected several patients and caused mass casualties.

Investigations also revealed that on December 24, all suspects had held a meeting in Aurangabad where they had decided how to execute lone wolf attacks at the same time.