Thane, Feb 23 (PTI) Police have registered a case against former Maharashtra Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt for allegedly beating up an ex-employee of his gas agency in Thane district, an official said on Wednesday.

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The complainant, Deepak Nikalje (27), alleged that Dutt and his associates thrashed him and threatened him with dire consequences in Piswali area of Dombivli town on Sunday night, an official from Manpada police station said.

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Based on his complaint, the police registered a case on Monday against Dutt and three of his associates under Indian Penal Code Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation), the official said.

However, Dutt, who is currently Congress secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh, told reporters that the complaint was false and lodged to defame him.

He said a case was registered by police a few months back against another employee of his for allegedly indulging in a fraud in his gas agency.

The latest complaint was lodged to avenge it, he claimed, and added that he was ready to face any police inquiry.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)