A special court in Nagpur has sentenced two men to five years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly making threat calls to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in 2023. Additional Sessions Judge Anil Kumar K Sharma issued the verdict on May 16, 2026, convicting the men, identified as notorious criminal Jayesh Pujari alias Kantha and terror accused Afsar Pasha.

The court found them guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Charges included IPC sections 385 and 387, which pertain to extortion, and sections 506(2) and 507, related to criminal intimidation. They were also convicted under UAPA sections that address membership in unlawful associations and participation in terrorist activities.

However, the judge acquitted them of the charge under UAPA section 20, which regards membership in terrorist gangs. All sentences imposed are set to run concurrently, which means they will serve their terms simultaneously.

Details of Threat Calls

The initial threat call was reported at Minister Gadkari’s public relations office on January 14, 2023. During this call, the accused allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 100 crore while claiming affiliations with the Dawood Ibrahim gang. At that time, both men were incarcerated at Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi, Karnataka.

A subsequent threat call was made on March 21, 2023, during which they allegedly threatened to kill the minister and detonate a bomb unless a sum of Rs 10 crore was paid. This led local police in Dhantoli to register two distinct cases linked to these threats.

An investigation revealed that the accused were reportedly operating illicitly from within the prison using mobile phones and SIM cards. Forensic examinations of these devices uncovered messages related to extremist groups, including references to “Taliban Zindabad” and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Background of the Accused and Ongoing Investigation

Additional evidence gathering by investigators suggested both accused were propagating extremist ideologies among other inmates at Hindalga prison. They also uncovered evidence of illicit financial transactions and misuse of smartphones within the prison environment.

The case against Afsar Pasha was particularly concerning due to his prior links to terror-related activities, including alleged connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Reports indicated that he had received bomb-making training in Bangladesh and might have had a role in the 2022 Mangaluru cooker bomb blast incident.

A third individual, Mohammed Shakir, remains at large, with a chargesheet filed against him under Section 299 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The trial proceedings were expedited, completing within 55 days and featuring the examination of 67 witnesses pertinent to both cases.

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