Hillsborough Man Threatened to Cut Off Elected Official, Judge s Fingers: Feds

On Thursday, June 26, officials charged a 58-year-old man who had previously resided in Hillsborough Township with threatening three judges, an elected official, and a Somerset County resident with violence.

Gavel.

According to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, Abhinaba Barthakur faces five charges of communicating a threat in interstate or foreign commerce and one count of retaliating against a federal judge by threatening them. In 2018, he traveled to India and hasn’t been back since.

According to Habba, Barthakur threatened to attack and cut off the fingers of an elected politician whose office was located in Somerville in July 2020.

Two months later, Barthakur left voicemails threatening to cut off the judge’s fingers when he called the Somerset Vicinage Civil Division chambers of a New Jersey Superior Court judge. According to Habba, Barthakur threatened another judge in the Somerset Vicinage Family Division with the same thing.

According to Habba, on Monday, October 16, 2023, Barthakur called a Somerset County resident and left a voicemail threatening to assault and kill them, including by injuring and killing them with a.22-caliber firearm.

According to Habba, Barthakur called a US District Court judge’s chambers on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, and threatened to attack and kill them with a.22 caliber revolver.