Bihar man arrested for threatening to kill PM Modi

Bhagalpur: A 35-year-old man from Bhagalpur, Bihar, was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to the state, police reported on Friday.

Authorities apprehended the accused on Thursday evening in Maheshi village, under Sultanganj Police Station's jurisdiction, according to an official statement.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Patna on Thursday for his two-day visit to Bihar.

"A WhatsApp call was made to security agencies from Bhagalpur, threatening to kill the PM during his Bihar visit. Accordingly, Bhagalpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) was informed about the threat call on Thursday, and a team was constituted to investigate the matter," the police statement said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the call was made from the mobile phone number of 71-year-old Mantu Chaudhary.

"After a detailed technical analysis and questioning, the team found Sameer Ranjan, the accused, made the WhatsApp call from Choudhary's mobile number by using a virtual private network (VPN)," the statement, issued by the Bhagalpur police, said.

Prima facie, it appears that the accused made the call to put Chaudhary in trouble, as they have a property dispute, it said.

"The accused admitted the crime during interrogation," the statement said.

The matter is being further investigated, it added.

Modi will launch development projects worth more than Rs 48,520 crore in Karakat in Rohtas on Friday and will also address a public rally ahead of the assembly polls due later this year.

(inputs from IANS)