Tanaji Sawant said that he made a call to the police after coming to know his son had left for the airport in someone else's car
Representational Pic/File
Amidst high drama, former Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant's son Rishiraj was brought back to Pune along with two friends on late Monday evening, cutting short their trip to Bangkok, hours after police filed a kidnapping case, officials said, reported the PTI.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police, Rishiraj Sawant (32) and his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok, but an anonymous call changed their travel plans.
After police registered a kidnapping case following the anonymous call made to the control room, his whereabouts were traced and he was brought back to Pune along with his friends, he said at a hurriedly convened press conference, according to the PTI.
"Our police control room received a call around 4 pm in which an anonymous caller informed us that Rishiraj was taken away by some unidentified people. Accordingly, we swung into action and registered a kidnapping offence, as per the PTI.
"During the probe, it was revealed Rishiraj along with his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok. We tracked the flight and contacted the airline for the aircraft's return. The flight has now returned to Pune with three passengers, including Rishiraj," informed Sharma, the news agency reported on Monday.
"We will enquire and find out the purpose of his trip to Bangkok and why he did not inform the family about his travel plans," the police officer said.
While replying to a question, Tanaji Sawant, who was present at the police briefing, denied any dispute with his son.
According to police sources, the flight to the Thailand capital was booked for Rs 78 lakh.
Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena leader said his son had left for the airport without informing him or anyone in the family.
The former minister said he made a call to police after coming to know his son had left for the airport in someone else's car.
Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant hails from Madha taluka in Solapur district of Maharashtra. He previously worked as a civil engineering professor at a university in Pune. Sawant entered politics in November 2016 when he was elected as an MLC from the undivided Shiv Sena. He was appointed as the Water and Soil Conservation Minister in the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, Sawant had won from the Paranda constituency in Dharashiv district. After Eknath Shinde became Maharashtra Chief Minister in 2022, Tanaji Sawant was appointed as the Health Minister.
(with PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
