Mumbai Police arrest man for giving death threat to Sanjay Raut

Mumbai Police on Saturday arrested a man for sending death threats to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. The man also threatened Raut to kill him like Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead last year.

The accused, identified as Rahul Talekar, was apprehended by the Pune and Mumbai Police from the Kharadi area, hours after Raut and his brother MLA Sunil Raut filed a threat complaint at the Kanjurmarg Police Station.

During the interrogation, Talekar, who has no criminal records, claimed that he sent threatening messages when he was drunk. Considering the prima facie, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he might have issued the threat under the influence of alcohol and assured people that strict action will be taken against him.

The Mumbai Police have booked Talekar under Section 506-II (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Talekar, originally from Jalna, called Raut Hindu virodhi in a WhatsApp threat message. He wrote, Delhi me mil tu ak 47 se uda dunga. Moosewala type. Lawrence ke or se msg he soch ke… Salman aur tu Fix. Tyatil karke rakhna (sic).

Talekar threatened Raut to kill him with AK-47 in Delhi, just like Sidhu Moose Wala. He also threatened to kill Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. Police suspect the name Lawrence in the message refers to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Rahul Talekar runs an eatery in Pune. According to the police, he sent the abusive threat message to Raut over WhatsApp on Friday after failing to reach the MP over the phone. The police said Rahul Talekar had learned about Bishnoi from social media and thought he could his name to send the threatening message to Sanjay Raut.

For the unversed, Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead last year in May in the Mansa district of Punjab. Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, a member of the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the murder.

A few days later, the Bishnoi gang also sent a threat letter to Salman Khan for killing their sacred animal blackbuck during the shooting of the film in 1998. The city police are already probing the Salman Khan threat case and Talekar will be questioned in connection with that too, the official added.