Man who threatened Sanjay Raut was drunk, has no past criminal record: Police

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had filed a police complaint after he received a death threat. (File photo)

By Pankaj Upadhyay: The person who made a death threat to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut is a 23-year-old man from Pune with no past criminal record or association with any criminal gang, Mumbai Police said on Saturday.

According to police, the accused has been identified as Rahul Talekar, an arts graduate running a hotel in Pune. His parents stay in Jalna. Police said the accused sent the threat message to Sanjay Raut in an inebriated state.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Purushottam Karad, (zone 7), said, “During interrogation, Talekar said he got the Shiv Sena MP's number from a website. We are still questioning him but as of now, we did not find any link between him with any criminal gang or political organisation.”

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Police have booked Talekar under Sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had filed a police complaint after he received a death threat allegedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The accused in the abusive threat message said that Sanjay Raut is an anti-Hindu who would be murdered in the same way as Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was killed.

Pune Police had detained the man on Friday night and handed him to the Mumbai Police.

Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district in May last year after his security was downgraded. Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for the attack.