Police suspect man who made threat calls to CM not acting alone

He says he was influenced by the developments in the Sushant Singh Rajput case; police trying to ascertain if he has underworld links

The police on Sunday said the man, who allegedly made threatening calls to the chief minister's residence, may not have been acting alone. A court on Sunday sent the accused to three days in police custody.

The accused had also allegedly made threatening calls and sent messages to Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which is investigating the case, had identified the man as 49-year-old Palash Narendranath Bose. He is a resident of Tollygunge in Kolkata and claims to be a gym instructor, an official said.

He is believed to have used three SIM cards, which he had bought during his 15-year stint as a club supervisor in Dubai, to make the threats.

An official said they suspect the involvement of several more people. "He recharged the cards with payment in dollars," the official told Mirror. "He used fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's name to threaten the leaders."

Raut had lodged a complaint in the matter.

An Anti-Terrorism Squad official said Bose admitted to making the threatening phone calls. "Bose claimed he was influenced by the developments in the Sushant Singh Rajput case," the official said.

The police are investigating if he was in contact with anyone from the underworld circles, his travel history and criminal record. "We may seek an extension for custody," an official said.

A source said that while it was difficult to trace him because he used the voice over internet protocol method to make the calls, a few technical mistakes made while texting his targets helped them track him down.

A team led by inspector Daya Nayak of the Juhu ATS Unit made the arrest on Saturday. "He had told the leaders of Maharashtra to stay away from the Sushant Singh Rajput death case while claiming that he was a Dawood aide. He had told them they would face dire consequences if they continued to investigate the case," an official said.