Vishnu Bhowmik, a 56-year-old jeweller, has been taken into custody for allegedly threatening to kill industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family, police said.

On Monday morning, Bhoumik made nine calls on the landline number of Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai’s Girgaon and threatened to kill Ambani and his family members. He also hurled abuses, the official said.

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Bhoumik allegedly used many names on call, one of them being Afzal, NDTV reported, quoting sources. 

He was taken into custody from suburban Dahisar at around 1:30 pm, almost three hours after he made the threat call. He was traced after cops identified the phone number from which he  made the calls.

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Police said the accused runs a jewellery shop in south Mumbai. Preliminary investigation revealed that Bhoumik is a repeat offender who had made similar calls in the past, the official told PTI. 

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Police were quizzing Bhoumik to know the motive behind making the calls.

The official said police are yet to ascertain whether Bhoumik was mentally unstable or otherwise. A case was registered at D B Marg police station under section 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

“The suspect had threatened Mukesh Ambani and abused him. He has been arrested under section 506(2) for criminal intimidation and issuing threats,” DCP Nilotpal told India Today.

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Last February, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) laden with explosives was found near Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’. Later, some people including the then police officer Sachin Waze were taken into custody in connection with the incident.