Mumbai: In the wee hours of Saturday morning, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and activist Anjali Damania said she got a call from a Pakistan-based number that was said to be from absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, threatening her to withdraw all cases against BJP’s ex-revenue minister Eknath Khadse.
Taking to Twitter, she said: “Last night at 12.33, I recd a threatening call asking me to withdraw all cases against Khadse +922135871717 Truecaller shows Dawood 2 Pakistan.” Truecaller is an app that identifies unknown calls or blocks spam SMS. Damania, who has shared the recorded call in which she and her family have been threatened, informed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and has also asked Joint Commissioner Crime to investigate the matter.
Last May, the AAP had revealed that Khadse was on the gangster’s most-dialled list, following which the Maharashtra government had ordered a probe into whether the calls were actually from the number registered at the gangster’s residence in Karachi.
Ethical hacker Maneesh Bhangale had said this number belonged to Mehjabeen Shaikh, wife of Dawood Ibrahim, and was registered in Karachi. He had said that Khadse’s mobile number was frequently called from this number.
Earlier this month, Damania had filed a case against Khadse with the Vakola Police in Mumbai for allegedly making “obscene” remarks against her in a speech at a public function. She was told about the speech by a colleague of hers in Jalgaon.
Damania had also filed a public interest litigation against Khadse alleging that he had amassed huge wealth disproportionate to his income.
The AAP has demanded the investigation be handed over to specialised central agencies like Raw or Intelligence Bureau as the investigation conducted the last time was inadequate.
National spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said, “What is important is that the state has totally failed to provide safety to activists and journalists and we fear for the safety of Anjali Damani and her family.”
