BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: A police team from Mumbai arrested a man from Gajapati district for allegedly issuing death threat to Mumbai BJP youth wing president Tajinder Singh Tiwana after introducing himself as a leader of a terror outfit Lashkar-e-Khalsa. While the arrest was made on Thursday, the state police confirmed the development on Sunday.
The accused, Asish Parichha (26), is a cashew trader from K Jhalarsing village in Gajapati district. A team from Bangur Nagar Link Road police station in Mumbai arrested Parichha with the help of Odisha Police. Parichha was produced before the court of chief judicial magistrate in Gajapati and taken to Mumbai on transit remand.
On January 5, Tiwana lodged a complaint with Bangur Nagar police after receiving threat messages and calls from an unknown WhatsApp number. The anonymous caller, who identified himself as Sandeep Singh Khalistani, allegedly threatened to kill Tiwana and his family if he did not quit the BJP.
The caller also allegedly sent messages, threatening to target BJP ministers, RSS leaders and personnel of the Indian Army. The Bangur Nagar police registered a case under Sections 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) of the IPC.
Parichha's motive behind sending the alleged WhatsApp messages to Tiwana continues to remain a mystery. Police denied Parichha is affiliated to any political party or he had an enmity with Tiwana.
"We are verifying his antecedents. He does not have any criminal record in the district. The Intelligence Bureau has been informed. His motive behind sending the WhatsApp threat messages and calls to the BJP leader is being examined. He had deleted all WhatsApp messages and contact details from his phone," a senior Odisha Police officer told TOI. Inspector general (southern range) Satyabrata Bhoi and Gajapati SP Swathy S Kumar refused to divulge details.