Pappu Yadav’s own man threatened him, no Lawrence link: Police

PURNEA A suspect named Ram Babu Yadav arrested from Bhojpur in connection with making threats to Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav is actually MP’s own man and he did it so that the MP could get Z security, said police on Tuesday, debunking the claim that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the intimidation.
Purnea police had arrested Ram Babu Yadav on Sunday from Bhojpur and seized some videos from his possession. Police said that he confessed during interrogation that he sent threatening video messages to the MP at the behest of MP’s close aide in lure of money.
Purnea superintendent of police (SP) Kartikeya K Sharma told media persons on Tuesday: “The arrested person has confessed that he was asked to send video message and for this he was to be paid ₹2 lakh. He admitted that he was paid ₹2,000 for making and sending threat videos.”
SP said that recovered videos and calls made by the suspect established no connection the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The arrested person, SP said quoting the accused, was an active member of Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) of Pappu Yadav which he had formed in 2015 after he parting away from the RJD.
The arrested person told police that he was asked to do so that the MP could get Z security and if he did so he would be given bigger responsibility in politics.
SP added, “Police have seized two videos from his possession, one was released and the other was to be released after some time.”
Ram Babu Yadav had sent a threatening video message to Purnea MP Pappu Yadav on Sunday and Purnea police on the next day arrested him from Bhojpur.
SP hinted that someone very close to MP had planned all this so that the MP’s security could be upgraded from Y category to Z category. He however didn’t disclose the name of the person citing it would affect further probe.
On Sunday the accused had sent a 13-second video on the mobile phone of the close aide of MP in which he had said that he was speaking on behalf of Bihar gang Lawrence Bishnoi network.
On November 29, the MP got a threat message on his whatsapp from a Pakistan based number. Pappu Yadav allegedly got dozens of threat calls and messages; however police in their investigation have so far found most of the calls as prank calls.
While Pappu Yadav could not be contacted for his comment as he is in Delhi to attend the ongoing Parliament session, his spokesperson Rajesh Yadav declared it a deep-rooted conspiracy by politicians and criminals to malign the image of MP. Contradicting the statement of police, he said, “His father claims he is worker of RJD while police has declared him a JAP member.”
He raised questions over police’s inaction to investigate dozens of threat calls coming from Pakistan and Nepal numbers. He alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched to eliminate the MP.