PUNE/MUMBAI: A 23-year-old eatery employee was arrested on Saturday from Pune for allegedly sending threat messages to kill Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. The arrested youth, Rahul Uttam Talekar, is a graduate hailing from Jalna and lives at Vadgaonsheri in Pune.
Raut’s brother, MLA Sunil Raut, had lodged an FIR of criminal intimidation at Kanjurmarg police station on Friday night.
Pune’s additional commissioner of police (crime), Ramnath Pokale on Saturday told TOI, “Mumbai police shared the name, photo and cellphone number of Talekar. In a joint action, a team by Pune crime branch and detection branch traced his phone location to an eatery in Chandannagar and took him in custody around 1.30am.”
He said they recovered the cellphone used to allegedly send threat messages to Raut. “After a team from Mumbai police reached Pune, we gave his custody to them.” Pokale said. “Mumbai police will investigate.”
Deputy commissioner of police Shashikant Borate said, “Talekar told the police he had sent the text messages to Raut under the influence of liquor. He does not have criminal antecedents in Pune, but it has to be verified if he had committed any crime in other places.”
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in Nagpurthe police had identified the person who sent death threats to Raut. He denied Raut’s claim that the threat messages were taken in “jest” by some politicians. “Absolutely no chance… In Maharashtra, we shall not allow anybody to threaten people,” he said.
DCP, Mumbai, Purushottam Karad, said they had got Talekar to Mumbai and were questioning him. Talekar told Mumbai police he had seen a video of Raut and watched a video of Lawrence Bishnoi. He said he tried to dial Raut, but could not get through so he sent the WhatsApp messages.
An officer of Mumbai police said so far he has no link with Bishnoi (gang). A source said Talekar used Lawrence Bishnoi’s name despite having no link with him.
The source said Talekar, in a message, wrote Raut would be killed with an AK-47 rifle in Delhi. It also said Raut would meet the same fate as Sidhu Moose Wala. Another message read it was from Bishnoi.
Last week, Mumbai police arrested a man from Jodhpur for threats to actor Salman Khan.
(inputs from Abhishek Choudhari in Nagpur)
Raut’s brother, MLA Sunil Raut, had lodged an FIR of criminal intimidation at Kanjurmarg police station on Friday night.
Pune’s additional commissioner of police (crime), Ramnath Pokale on Saturday told TOI, “Mumbai police shared the name, photo and cellphone number of Talekar. In a joint action, a team by Pune crime branch and detection branch traced his phone location to an eatery in Chandannagar and took him in custody around 1.30am.”
He said they recovered the cellphone used to allegedly send threat messages to Raut. “After a team from Mumbai police reached Pune, we gave his custody to them.” Pokale said. “Mumbai police will investigate.”
Deputy commissioner of police Shashikant Borate said, “Talekar told the police he had sent the text messages to Raut under the influence of liquor. He does not have criminal antecedents in Pune, but it has to be verified if he had committed any crime in other places.”
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in Nagpurthe police had identified the person who sent death threats to Raut. He denied Raut’s claim that the threat messages were taken in “jest” by some politicians. “Absolutely no chance… In Maharashtra, we shall not allow anybody to threaten people,” he said.
DCP, Mumbai, Purushottam Karad, said they had got Talekar to Mumbai and were questioning him. Talekar told Mumbai police he had seen a video of Raut and watched a video of Lawrence Bishnoi. He said he tried to dial Raut, but could not get through so he sent the WhatsApp messages.
An officer of Mumbai police said so far he has no link with Bishnoi (gang). A source said Talekar used Lawrence Bishnoi’s name despite having no link with him.
The source said Talekar, in a message, wrote Raut would be killed with an AK-47 rifle in Delhi. It also said Raut would meet the same fate as Sidhu Moose Wala. Another message read it was from Bishnoi.
Last week, Mumbai police arrested a man from Jodhpur for threats to actor Salman Khan.
(inputs from Abhishek Choudhari in Nagpur)
