Maha: Man detained from Pune for giving death threat to Sanjay Raut

Mumbai police have detained a young man from Pune for allegedly sending a message to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut threatening to eliminate him like Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot dead last year, a police official said on Saturday.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the man has been identified and it appears that he sent the threat message under the influence of alcohol. However, a detailed probe will be carried out and action will be taken, he assured.

The man in his early 20s was detained from the Kharadi area on Friday night in an operation by Mumbai and Pune police, hours after Raut filed a complaint with the Kanjurmarg police station here, the official said. Calling Raut “Hindu virodhi”, the text message read, “Delhi me mil tu ak 47 se uda dunga. Moosewala tyep. Lawrence ke or se msg he soch ke… Salman aur tu Fix. Tyatil karke rakhna (sic).” Police suspect the “Lawrence” in the message refers to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, 2022, following which police booked gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Goldy Brar, a member of the Bishnoi gang, had claimed responsibility for the killing. A few days later, three members of the Bishnoi gang delivered a letter threatening Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan, police had said. The official said they are yet to establish the reason behind the threat message to Raut. The city police are already probing the Salman Khan threat case and this man will be questioned in connection with that too, the official added. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the man who allegedly sent the threat message has been identified. “Prima facie, it appears that the man gave threats when he was under the influence of alcohol. However, this is just preliminary information and a detailed probe will be carried out and action will be taken,” Fadnavis said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule said Raut is a lawmaker and such a threat to him was a serious issue and that the Centre and the Maharashtra government should take cognisance of it.