Mumbai Crime Branch Detains Pune Student for Threatening Chief Minister and MP on Social Media

Mumbai/Pune, 24th February 2024: On February 23, the Mumbai Crime Branch detained a 19-year-old Pune student, Subham Warkad, for allegedly threatening Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde, through the social networking platform X. Warkad, a first-year Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student from Nanded, is currently under investigation for his motives behind the threat.

The incident originated on February 11 when a person named Abhay posted on X expressing the desire for a photo with Eknath Shinde and contemplating engaging in hooliganism. Responding to Abhay’s post, Warkad wrote, ” I will bring the gun, brother, but you will have to first kill Eknath and Shrikant.”

Upon discovering this threatening exchange on X, Mumbai police swiftly forwarded the information to the cyber police to identify those openly discussing harm to the Chief Minister and his son. The Mumbai Crime Branch and anti-terrorism unit took immediate action, tracing Warkad’s IP address, which was linked to his Gmail ID, mobile number, and location. A team from the crime intelligence unit then apprehended Warkad in Pune.

During the interrogation, Warkad admitted to posting the threatening message on X. On February 23, he was brought to Santacruz Police Station and charged under sections 505 (statements conducting public mischief) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. The case has been transferred to Crime Branch Unit 9 for further investigation, and Warkad is scheduled to appear in court on February 24, according to a senior official.