Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday received threat calls, a day after similar calls were received by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The phone calls were made to the residences of both the political leaders. The calls threatening Pawar and Deshmukh were allegedly made from outside the country. An investigation has been started in the matter.
An unidentified man allegedly called up Maharashtra CM Thackeray's personal residence 'Matoshree' in Bandra, saying that he was calling from Dubai on behalf of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a police official told news agency PTI on September 6. The caller rang up twice around 10.30 pm on Saturday, following which the police beefed up security at Thackeray's bungalow located in Kalanagar Colony, the official had said.
"Someone called up on 'Matoshree' phone number two times on Saturday night and said Dawood Ibrahim wanted to talk to CM Uddhav Thackeray. However, the telephone operator did not transfer the call to the CM," the official said. "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," he added.
The local police were later informed about the calls, following which extra security force was deployed outside the bungalow, the official had said.
According to him, no case was registered in this connection. Talking to PTI, a top police official said, "We are trying to verify whether the calls received were from Dubai or some other place. Investigation is on." Meanwhile, Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab dismissed reports that the caller gave a threat to blow up the chief minister's residence. "There was no threat to blow up 'Matoshree'," he said. "Police have been informed about the calls and a probe is on," the Shiv Sena leader had said.
