Mumbai: A magistrate’s court has remanded 39-year-old Fayaz Nisar Hussain Premji to police custody until July 4 in connection with the alleged distribution of capsules containing zinc phosphide during a Muharram procession in south Mumbai.
The probe is examining Premji’s family background, personal circumstances, alleged community disputes and the procurement of the suspected poison. During questioning, he allegedly expressed resentment towards members of the Shia community, blaming them for social, financial and personal hardships faced by his family.
Police said Premji claimed that his family had been subjected to social boycott, harassment, repeated complaints and vandalism at their business establishment. Investigators are independently verifying these allegations to determine whether they contributed to the alleged conspiracy.
According to investigators, Premji’s maternal grandfather, Abbas Ali Rajab Ali Charania, who lived in Mahuva in Gujarat and died in 2016, had criticised certain customs and traditions within the community. Premji allegedly told police that his grandfather frequently spoke against practices he considered superstitious.
Investigators said Premji later began presenting himself as a reformer within the Khoja Shia community and associated with people who criticised religious practices on social media and online platforms. He had also distributed pamphlets in south Mumbai around 2009 opposing some community traditions.
Police said the family subsequently moved to Pune after allegedly facing ostracism. Premji, a Bachelor of Business Administration graduate, later moved to Iran with his mother and siblings in 2019 and started a fast-food business. He returned to Pune in 2025.
Investigators are also examining his claim that marital breakdown, family instability and neglect by relatives caused prolonged mental stress. Police said he had been consuming various medicines and tablets. The inquiry is further focused on how he allegedly obtained 50 kg of zinc phosphide and around 30,000 empty capsules. Police claimed he learnt capsule-filling methods online and prepared them at home. His phone has been sent for forensic analysis. No extremist links have been established so far.
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