Mumbai Police: Sanjay Raut’s Assailant Was Inebriated, No Prior Convictions

Mumbai Police said Saturday that the guy who threatened Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut with death is a 23-year-old Pune man with no previous criminal record or affiliation with any criminal group.

Rahul Talekar, a Pune-based hotelier and arts graduate, has been named as the suspect by police. According to the police, the culprit was drunk when he sent the threatening message to Sanjay Raut.

Purushottam Karad, zone 7’s deputy commissioner of police, stated, “During questioning, Talekar claimed he obtained the Shiv Sena MP’s phone number from a website. Although we are currently investigating him, we have not yet discovered any connections between him and any political or criminal gang”.

Talekar has been detained by police under Indian Criminal Code Sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke disturbance of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Sanjay Raut, a member of parliament for the Shiv Sena (UBT), reported a death threat he reportedly got from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The alleged perpetrator claimed in the obscene threat message that Sanjay Raut was anti-Hindu and would be slain similarly to how Punjabi artist Sidhu Moose Wala was killed.

On Friday night, the man was taken into custody by Pune Police and turned over to Mumbai Police.

In May of last year, after his protection was lowered, Punjabi musician Sidhu Moose Wala was shot and killed in the Mansa district of Punjab. The attackers, Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar took credit for the assault.

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