Mumbai Police arrests 36-year-old man for rape threat against Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi's daughter

Days after a man posted a rape threat against Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Twitter, the user has been identified and arrested in Ahmedabad. A joint team of the Delhi and Mumbai police investigated the threat, which was also directed against Chaturvedi’s 10-year-old daughter. A thorough surveillance resulted in the 36-year-old man, identified as Girish Maheshwari, being arrested in Ahmedabad, reported NDTV. [caption id=“attachment_4671521” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Priyanka Chaturvedi. News18[/caption] The arrest comes two days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) intervened by asking the Mumbai Police to file a case against the perpetrator, reported India Today. Maheshwari was arrested from Bavla near Ahmedabad on Wednesday night, a senior police official said. The accused was being brought to Mumbai and would be produced in the Dindoshi court later in the day, he said. Maheshwari has been charged with harassing a woman on social media, according to the India Today report. The case was registered under Section 509 (word, gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, on Tuesday after the Congress spokesperson filed a complaint. Reacting to the development, Chaturvedi said that she was “grateful to the home ministry for its quick response”. She added that she was used to dealing with trolls online. “I take them head-on every day. But this time I took action because it affected my family,” she said, speaking to NDTV. On 3 July, the MHA asked the Mumbai Police to register a case and take legal action against the person who issued rape threats against Chaturvedi’s minor daughter. The MHA also asked Twitter to furnish details of the user account used to issue the threats. Chaturvedi filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police on 2 July against the user. “I have filed a complaint at the Goregaon police station. Police have assured me of prompt action in the matter,” Chaturvedi said. According to News18, the incident has sparked outrage on social media as leaders across the political spectrum and others came out in support of the Congress spokesperson. With inputs from PTI