Patna: The man who allegedly made threatening phone calls to Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha was arrested by police in Siwan’s Darauli area on Saturday. The accused has been identified as Rakesh Kumar, a supporter of Kushwaha himself, who told police he acted out of frustration over the politician’s recent moves, which he feared could signal a split from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
According to police officials, Rakesh confessed during interrogation that he made the threats using multiple mobile numbers because he was “angry with Upendra Kushwaha’s political activities” and suspected the leader was “drifting away from the NDA.” In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Kushwaha revealed he had received multiple calls and messages on Thursday night, some of which cited the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—a criminal network currently under national scrutiny.
Kushwaha wrote, “Tonight between 8:52 and 9:20 pm, I received seven consecutive threatening calls in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” and listed the mobile numbers from which the threats originated. He also shared details of a message received at 8:57 pm stating that if he “continued speaking politically against a particular party,” he would be “eliminated within 10 days.”
The Rajya Sabha MP described the threats as “unacceptable in a democratic system” and urged Patna SSP to take immediate and strict action.
Investigations have revealed that Rakesh Kumar previously worked in Dubai and also resided in Delhi for some time. While in Delhi, he was jailed in a separate case involving threats. Police are currently verifying his criminal background using the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) portal.
Officials confirmed that the accused had used at least three different phone numbers to issue the threats and had attempted to disguise the calls as coming from an organised gang. Further legal proceedings are underway.
