Archive · 12 Nov 2025
Gujarat ATS arrests three for attempting to produce lethal Ricin poison
Police in Gujarat arrested three people, including a doctor, who were trying to make a very dangerous poison called Ricin.
Ricin comes from castor beans, which are used to make castor oil.
The poison is so strong that just a tiny bit, like one milligram, can kill an adult if eaten.
It works by stopping cells from making the proteins they need to survive, which can lead to organ failure and death.
The arrested men were planning to use this poison for a terror attack and had looked at places like an RSS office and markets in different cities.
There's no special medicine to fix ricin poisoning, so doctors can only try to help with the symptoms.
This poison has been studied for use as a weapon in the past and was used to kill a journalist in 1978.
While processing castor beans for oil removes the poison, the seeds themselves can be dangerous if bitten.
Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested three men, including a doctor, for allegedly attempting to produce the lethal chemical Ricin.
The accused were allegedly planning a terror attack and had surveyed potential targets including an RSS office and markets in Lucknow, Delhi, and Ahmedabad.
Ricin is a protein extracted from castor beans; it is highly toxic, with just 1 mg potentially being fatal to an adult.
Ricin works by inhibiting protein synthesis within cells, leading to multi-organ failure and death.
There is no specific antidote for ricin poisoning; treatment is symptomatic, and challenges include its rarity and doctors not suspecting it.
Ricin has a history of military interest and has been used in past attacks, notably the assassination of Bulgarian journalist Georgi Markov in 1978.
While castor oil production removes ricin, the castor bean seeds themselves can be dangerous if bitten into.
Ricin is classified as a Schedule 1 toxin under the Chemical Weapons Convention due to its high risk of use as a chemical weapon.
- Who
- Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad, three arrested men including a doctor with a 'Chinese medical degree'.
- What
- Arrest of three individuals attempting to produce the lethal chemical compound Ricin, allegedly for a terror attack.
- When
- Earlier this week.
- Where
- Gujarat (arrests made), targets surveyed in Lucknow (RSS office), Azadpur Delhi (APMC), and Naroda Ahmedabad (fruit market).
- Why
- To carry out a terror attack.
- Chemical agent
- Ricin
- Source of Ricin
- Castor bean seeds
- Lethal dose
- 1 mg mixed in food can kill an adult
- Treatment for poisoning
- No antidote; treatment is symptomatic
- Previous use
- Studied by US in WWI, weaponized by Iraq in 1980s, used to kill Georgi Markov in 1978
- Ricin classification
- Schedule 1 toxin under Chemical Weapons Convention
