Mumbai: Police has beefed up security at important public places and vital installations in Mumbai and were keeping a strict vigil in the wake of an E-mail received by a news channel purportedly from an alleged Muslim ultra outfit threatening to execute more bomb explosions in the megapolis.

The E-mail came on September 22 when the entire city was gearing up for the Navratri celebrations, police sources said, adding that the mail warned of at least 100 blasts in the next 10 days.

City Police Commissioner, Ranjit Singh Sharma, acknowledged that the news channel forwarded one such mail to them. He said that although apparently the mail appears to be a prank since the 10 days time has elapsed without any untoward incident, the police still would take no chance.

Sharma further said that since the mail was received before Navratri, the security measures were increased. Apart from 25,000 regular force put on security duty, a company of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other paramilitary units were kept on constant standby, Sharma added.

The police chief said the news channel received the mail on September 22 at 6:30 am in its feedback mailbox and it promptly redirected it to the police. Apart from the increase in security measures, the Cyber Cell of Mumbai Police too was putting efforts to trace the origin of the mail, he said.

Sources said the mail started with 'Warning to Indians', and the sender further said, "We will blast Mumbai in pieces this month". This is not scare but dare to security agencies and Hindus," it says adding that, "we have done it on 25th (August) and we will do it 100 times more in 10 days".

According to sources, the mail also says, "(after the blasts) You Hindus, Americans and whole Police force will know what it feels like to be a Muslim."

The news channel that received this mail is the same one, which also received a mail from Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force claiming responsibility for the Ghatkopar bomb blast of July 28, the sources said.

Police Commissioner Sharma said that the previous mail was checked with the new one, but no uniformity or commonality has been detected.

When contacted, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Dr Satyapal Singh said that the Cyber Cell was holding a probe to find out the origin of the mail and has made some headway into it. He, however, refused to elaborate further.

PTI