NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has allegedly received a death threat from a prisoner in Salawas Jail, Dausa.
The accused, identified as 29-year-old Rinku, is currently serving a life sentence for rape. He was sentenced to life imprisonment until death, along with a penalty of โน20,000, by the court on January 9, 2020.
According to police sources, Rinku made a call to the Jaipur police control room on Friday, threatening to assassinate the chief minister.
The call was swiftly traced to Salawas Jail, prompting a massive search operation from 3 AM to 7 AM within the prison premises. During the search, officials recovered the mobile phone used to make the call.
State Home Minister Jawahar Singh Bedham stated that Inspector General of Prisons Vikram Singh has been assigned to investigate the incident thoroughly. Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lalsot Lokesh Sonwal confirmed that Dausa Superintendent of Police (SP) Ranjita Sharma received an alert from senior officials in Jaipur regarding the threat call originating from the jail.
โSP Sharma directed local law enforcement to verify the threat. A team, including the local Circle Officer (CO) and Station House Officer (SHO), rushed to the spot and conducted a search along with jail authorities,โ ASP Sonwal said, as quoted by NDTV.
He further stated that the mobile phone and SIM card used for the call were seized, and an FIR has been registered. Additionally, a deeper search within the jail uncovered nine more mobile phones buried underground.
โThe accused, serving a sentence under IPC Section 376 (rape), has been identified as a native of Darjeeling. The investigation is ongoing, and further legal action will be taken,โSonwal added.
Authorities are now probing how mobile phones reached the high-security prison and whether any jail officials were involved in facilitating their smuggling.
The Tijara police arrested Rinku for abducting and raping a six-year-old girl on March 9, 2019. The minor was attending a wedding with her grandfather when the incident occurred. She was later found bleeding and unconscious. After his conviction, he was sent to Dausa Jail.
Last year, too, the Jaipur Police Control Room received threat calls from jail inmates.
Mukesh, who was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, called the Jaipur Police Control Room on January 17, 2024, threatening to shoot Sharma. Following this, three jail officials were suspended. He was later shifted to Dausa Central Jail from Jaipur Central Jail.
On July 27, 2024, another POCSO convict, Nimo, a resident of West Bengalโs Darjeeling, was shifted to Dausa Jail from Jaipur Jail. Three months later, he called the Jaipur Police Control Room and issued a similar threat to shoot the CM.
