Man held for issuing death threat to CM

A 30-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for issuing a death threat under the influence of alcohol to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta after the police refused to intervene in a personal matter involving his estranged wife, officials said.

The accused, identified as Shlok Tripathi, alias Shlok Tiwari, was arrested in a joint operation by the Delhi Police and the Uttar Pradesh Police from Ghaziabad. He is currently being interrogated by a multi-agency team comprising officials from the Delhi Police, UP Police, Special Cell and the Intelligence Bureau at the Special Staff office in northwest Delhi.

According to a senior police official, Tripathi, who works as a deed writer at the Ghaziabad court and is pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree, has been living in Ghaziabad with his mother and sister. He was married in 2020, but his wife has been living separately in Delhi since last year, reportedly due to his alcohol addiction.

While Tripathi initially claimed the separation was due to a conflict between his wife and mother, police sources indicated that his excessive drinking and prior stay at a de-addiction centre likely contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.

In a desperate attempt to reconnect with his wife, Tripathi allegedly rang up the emergency helpline number - 112 - from Ghaziabad on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. He sought police assistance in speaking to his wife. When officers declined to intervene, he reportedly threatened to kill Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta if his demands were not met.

“At first, he did not mention the Chief Minister’s name. He simply asked for help in speaking to his wife,” an officer said. “However, when the police didn’t respond to his satisfaction, he threatened to kill the Delhi CM if they did not fulfill his wishes,” the officer said. The accused is said to be suffering from depression and has a known history of making anonymous calls to the police.

Following the threat, the Ghaziabad Police alerted the Delhi authorities and dispatched a team to Panchwati Colony from where the call was reportedly made. Tripathi initially managed to evade capture but was later arrested.

In response to the threat, security around Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been significantly tightened. Gupta, who already receives ‘Z’ category security, now has enhanced protection outside her residence in northwest Delhi.