Nagpur, May 15 (PTI) A special court in Nagpur on Friday sentenced two men to five years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly making threat calls to Union minister Nitin Gadkari in 2023 from a jail in Karnataka.
Additional Sessions Judge Anil Kumar K Sharma convicted and sentenced the duo – notorious criminal Jayesh Pujari alias Kantha and terror accused Afsar Pasha – under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Both of them are currently in the Nagpur central jail.
The court found them guilty under IPC sections 385 and 387 (putting person in fear of death of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion), 506 (2) and 507 (criminal intimidation), 34 (common intention), along with UAPA sections 10 (being member of an unlawful association), 13(1) (taking part in unlawful activities) and 18 (conspiracy, abetment, or incitement to commit a terrorist act).
However, the court acquitted both of them under UAPA section 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organisation involved in a terrorist act).
They were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment ranging from two to five years under different sections, along with fines. All sentences will run concurrently.
According to the prosecution, the first threat call was received at minister Gadkari’s public relations office in Nagpur on January 14, 2023. During the call, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 100 crore and claimed links with the Dawood Ibrahim gang. At that time, both of them were lodged in Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi, Karnataka.
A second call was made on March 21, 2023, in which the accused allegedly threatened to kill the minister and carry out a bomb blast if Rs 10 crore were not paid.
Following the threats, Dhantoli police in the city registered two separate cases in connection with the threat calls.
During the probe, the police later found that the accused were operating from inside prison illegally using mobile phones and SIM cards. During the forensic examination of the seized phones, investigators reportedly found messages mentioning “Taliban Zindabad”, “TTP” and other extremist references.
The probe also uncovered alleged links of the accused with banned organisations including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the D-Gang.
Investigators relied on call detail records, electronic evidence, bank transactions, prison records and witness statements to establish the conspiracy.
The background of accused Afsar Pasha made the case even more serious.
Pasha, who was earlier linked to terror-related activities, was allegedly connected to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives and had reportedly received bomb-making training in Bangladesh. Investigators also suspected his role in training persons involved in the 2022 Mangaluru cooker bomb blast case.
Police officials said Pasha and Pujari were spreading extremist ideas among inmates inside the Hindalga prison. Authorities also found evidence suggesting illegal financial transactions and use of smartphones within the jail premises.
A third accused, Mohammed Shakir, is still absconding, and a chargesheet against him has already been filed under Section 299 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The trial was completed within 55 days, during which 67 witnesses were examined in both cases. PTI COR NP
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