The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on Saturday said the man who has been arrested for making threat calls to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, also threatened to blow up NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s house. The ATS said the accused was using three international numbers for these calls.
Addressing a press conference, Anti-Terror Squad’s DCP Vikram Deshmane said Sanjay Raut had been receiving repeated threat calls and SMS, following which he spoke to the ATS about the matter.
He said the accused, Palash Ghosh was apprehended from Kolkata with the help of the city police there on Friday.
“Sanjay Raut has been continuously receiving threats to his life through international phone calls from a person claiming to be a member of the notorious Dawood Ibrahim Gang,” the ATS said in a statement.
The accused also made calls to the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, besides threatening to blow up Sharad Pawar’s residence.
Police said the arrested accused is a gym-trainer and he has used international SIM cards to make these threat calls. Previously, he has worked in Dubai for nearly 15 years.
“He had three international SIM cards and one Indian SIM card,” the police said, adding that they are enquiring as to why he made these calls.
Police claimed that he has accepted his crime and told them that he used some mobile apps to find out contacts of the political leaders and then called them. “He does not have any criminal background or affiliation with any political party,” they said.
On Friday, police in Kolkata arrested the accused who claims to be a fan of actress Kangana Ranaut.
A team of Mumbai Police with the help of Kolkata Police nabbed Palash Ghosh, in his late 20s, from his Tollygunge residence in the early hours of Friday for allegedly threatening Sanjay Raut.
Ghosh had allegedly threatened the Shiv Sena MP with “dire consequences” on a social networking site, following which the Mumbai Police contacted the Kolkata Police and arrested the man.
Sanjay Raut and Kangana Raut were engaged in a war of words after the latter recently likened Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and also said she feared Mumbai Police more than “movie mafia”.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is ruled by the Shiv Sena, on Wednesday pulled down some “illegal alterations” made at Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow in Bandra.
However, the Bombay High Court later ordered a stay on it.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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