Thane man who threatened Eknath Shinde arrested

The Thane police on Monday apprehended a man who threatened deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde through an Instagram post that quickly went viral. The accused, identified as Hitesh Prakash Dhende, a 24-year-old resident of Warli Pada in Thane, was taken into custody within 24 hours

THANE: The Thane police on Monday apprehended a man who threatened deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde through an Instagram post that quickly went viral. The accused, identified as Hitesh Prakash Dhende, a 24-year-old resident of Warli Pada in Thane, was taken into custody within 24 hours of the complaint being filed.

Thane, India - November 07, 2022: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde speaks during the Konkan Festival event, at Savarkar Nagar, Wagle Estate, in Thane, Mumbai, India, on Monday, November 07, 2022. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Prashant Kadam, a formal complaint was lodged after the video surfaced, where Dhende was seen threatening Shinde. The police immediately launched an investigation with multiple teams, eventually tracing the accused to the Ghati Pada area in Wagle Estate, from where he was arrested. The case was registered under sections 133, 351, 352, 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

DCP Kadam further revealed that Dhende had been previously involved in a dispute with a security guard at Kalwa hospital. As per details available with police, Dhende had gone to the hospital for a checkup where he had a confrontation with the security guard. The situation escalated when the guard told Dhende that he was close to Eknath Shinde, so no one could touch him. That purportedly triggered Dhende to create the threatening video and post it online.

According to police, his arrest came after scrutiny of his online activities. Police officers confirmed that the threatening video was self-produced by the accused. Efforts are on to find out if there was anything more to the threat.