Nitin Gadkari Gets 3 Threat Calls At His Office, Maharashtra Police Ramps Up Security

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Rahul Madane said that the extortion calls were made to Gadkari's public relations office in Nagpur. Two of the calls were made in the morning and one at noon.

A man on Tuesday made three phone calls to Union minister Nitin Gadkari's office in Nagpur, threatening the senior BJP leader if Rs 10 crore was not paid to him. The caller identified himself as Jayesh Pujari or Jayesh Kantha, the same person whose name was used to make similar calls to the Road Transport and Highways Minister's office in January.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Rahul Madane said that the calls were made to Gadkari's public relations office in Nagpur. Two of the calls were made in the morning and one at noon. The caller demanded a sum of Rs 10 crore and threatened to harm Gadkari if the money was not paid. However, no life threat was made, Madane said.

"The number was found to be that of a woman who is in Mangaluru. We contacted her and found out that she works at an event management firm. We trying to find out if the call was placed by any of her friends," Madane said.

After receiving alerts from Gadkari's staff, the Nagpur police started an investigation. Security has now been beefed up at the minister's residence and office. The DCP further confirmed that the police are taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of the Union Minister.

This is not the first time that 'Jayesh Pujari' has threatened the Union minister. On January 14, a person identifying himself as 'Jayesh Pujari' made similar calls to Gadkari's public relations office, demanding Rs 100 crore. The caller claimed that he was a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. At that time, Pujari was already lodged in Hindalga jail in Karnataka's Belagavi, serving a sentence for a murder case. However, he denied any involvement in the threat calls.

Security threats to politicians are not uncommon in India. Many politicians receive threats, and security personnel have to be vigilant at all times. Recently, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over the security of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after an alleged security breach on board a flight he was travelling on.

The police have assured the public that they are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Nitin Gadkari and have launched a full-fledged investigation to trace the person behind the threat calls.