Union minister Shashi Tharoor received the death threat from a mobile number whose SIM card was procured using forged documents by an unidentified man in the name of a gym instructor, police said tonight.
Soon after tracing the number to west Delhi's Hari Nagar, police detained Manick Verma, the gym instructor but later released him after detailed interrogation.
"As of now, Verma is innocent. He is also a victim. He has nothing to do with this SMS. Further investigations are on," an official said.
According to sources, the same number was used earlier to send a "filthy" SMS to senior CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat.
The number was procured using forged documents in the name Verma, an instructor at the Constitution Club gym and who resides in West Delhi's Hari Nagar, the official said.
Tharoor's aide received an SMS this morning claiming it was from the Mumbai underworld asking the Minister to keep away from the Kochi franchise (in connection with IPL) or face the consequences.
Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said they received a complaint from Tharoor's office, after which a probe was launched.
Jacob Joseph, officer on special duty to Tharoor, had earlier in the day said the henchmen of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim threatened Tharoor to stay clear of IPL Kochi franchise or face death.
He claimed the SMS message warned to "stay out of IPL as D-Company is involved in it".
Two police teams, including one from Special Cell, had visited Tharoor's 97-Lodhi Estate residence during the day.
The SMS threat added further twist to the controversy involving the Kochi franchise, Tharoor and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
