Mumbai Traffic Police receive a WhatsApp threat against Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis from a Pakistani number; security tightened, probe underway
Mumbai: Days after Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde received a death threat, Mumbai Traffic Police on Friday received a threat message on WhatsApp from a Pakistani number threatening to harm Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In the message, a man identifying himself as Malik Shahbaz Humayun Raza, claimed that Fadnavis will be attacked. The investigative agencies are trying to trace the sender and verify the credibility of the threat, said officials.
After the threat, a case has been registered in Worli Police station and an investigation has been initiated to trace the source of the threat and assess its credibility.
“The threat message was sent to the traffic police from an unknown number on WhatsApp. After receiving the threatening message, police and investigating agencies were put on alert mode,” the official said.
Following the threat perception, the police have beefed up CM Fadnavis’s security. The security around the CM, his office and other key government buildings has been heightened as a precautionary measure, said officials.
This incident comes just days after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also received a death threat on February 20. In a threat email sent to Mumbai’s Goregaon police, an unidentified person warned that Shinde’s vehicle would be blown up with a bomb.
The state secretariat and the JJ Marg police station also received similar threat messages. After probing the threat message sent to Shinde, the Mumbai Police suggested that it was a hoax email.
It was not the first time Shinde has received death threats. In February 2024, the Mumbai crime branch had arrested a 19-year-old student from Pune for allegedly giving death threats to Shinde, who was then the Chief Minister, and his son and MP Shrikant Shinde via social media.
On 13th February 2023, Shinde reportedly received death threats from Naxalites via a letter. An offense was registered under IPC section 506(2) (criminal intimidation) at Wagle Estate police station in Thane.
