‘Ricin bioterror plot’: Guj ATS searches city doc’s house

Hyderabad: Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Telangana's Counter Intelligence (CI) Cell Wednesday searched the residence of Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed at Rajendranagar and seized castor seeds and chemicals allegedly procured for the preparation of ricin, a lethal chemical compound. Saiyed was arrested by Gujarat ATS near Ahmedabad on Nov 8, uncovering an alleged plot involving chemical weapons and connections with a global terror network.

Intelligence officials said Saiyed earned an MBBS degree from a China university, but did not practice in Hyderabad. "We were informed that he failed to qualify Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), a mandatory screening test for Indians who complete a medical degree abroad and wish to practice in India. So, to eke out a livelihood, Saiyed was operating a juice and a shawarma centre near his house. Some claim that he was also into online medical consultation, but we have to verify it," an intelligence official said.


The ATS team seized a stock of castor seeds, traces of castor bean cake, an electric grinder-cum-oil seeds press and some chemicals including solvents. "He procured castor seeds locally. Some of the chemicals, he ordered online in small quantities and some he purchased locally," a police source said. The team left the city on Wednesday night with the seized material.

Police said Saiyed was divorced and has no children. Saiyed, who claimed to be handled by an alleged Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) affiliate ‘Abu Khadija', would be questioned in Gujarat to know how he was radicalised and whether he established local affiliates in Hyderabad.

ATS had caught Saiyed at the Adalaj toll plaza on Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road on Nov 8 with firearms, ammunition and four kg of castor-bean cake, from which ricin is extracted. His call records led to the arrest of his alleged accomplices — Azad Suleman Sheikh (20) and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem Khan (23) — of UP at Banaskantha in Gujarat subsequently.

Ricin toxicity

Ricin is a highly toxic biological substance derived from the waste left after processing castor beans. It can cause severe illness or death if misused.

Even very small amounts are dangerous: inhalation, ingestion, or injection of just a few milligrams can lead to rapid organ failure and death because ricin halts the body's ability to synthesise essential proteins. Medical management is limited to urgent supportive care and symptomatic treatment. So, any suspected ricin incident is treated as both a major criminal act and a public-health emergency.