Security arrangements outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s home in Mumbai have been tightened after a man called and allegedly threatened to blow the place, PTI reported on Sunday. The man claimed to be calling on behalf of notorious gangster Dawood Ibrahim from Dubai.
The police said that the threatening calls to Thackeray’s home were made on Saturday night. “Someone called up on the Matoshree phone number two times on Saturday night and said Dawood Ibrahim wanted to talk to CM Uddhav Thackeray,” an unidentified police official told PTI.
He added: “However, the telephone operator did not transfer the call to the CM. The caller did not reveal his identity, but only said that he was calling from Dubai on behalf of Dawood Ibrahim. Both the calls were received around 10.30 pm.” The official also said that extra security personnel were deployed outside the bungalow after the police were alerted about the calls.
Thackeray’s office, meanwhile, said that the incident has worried the state’s cabinet ministers. “State CM [Chief Minister] Uddhav Thackeray’s residence Matoshree received anonymous threat call that it be would blown up,” Thackeray’s office said in a statement. “The state cabinet which met today [Sunday], expressed concern over it and condemned it. The cabinet sought the Centre’s intervention in the case. The ministers said the guilty should be brought to booked and strict action should be taken.”
An unidentified senior officer said that the police have launched an investigation into the incident and are trying to verify where the calls were made from.
Maharashtra minister Anil Parab denied that the caller issued threats. “Yesterday one call was received at Matoshree,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV. “The caller said, ‘I am connected to the Dawood gang and want to talk to the CM. But it wasn’t any threat call. The police will investigate whether it is hoax or what.”
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