IT Engineer Arrested For Allegedly Posing As Bishnoi Gang Member & Threatening Bollywood Celebrities

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 30-year-old IT engineer from Bengaluru for allegedly issuing extortion threats to Bollywood actors Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana while posing as a member of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The accused, identified as Vaibhav Mishra, works with a private company in Bengaluru. During preliminary interrogation, he allegedly claimed that he had made the threatening calls and sent audio messages merely as a prank to create panic among Bollywood celebrities. However, the police are not ruling out the possibility of a larger conspiracy and are investigating whether he had any links with organised criminal networks.

Accused Arrested In Bengaluru

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajtilak Roshan confirmed that the 30-year-old accused had been arrested in connection with alleged extortion attempts and threatening calls made to several individuals in Mumbai. He is being brought to Mumbai on transit remand and is expected to be produced before a court on Thursday, where the Crime Branch will seek his police custody for further investigation.

Actors Targeted Through Instagram Messages

According to sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch, the accused allegedly used Instagram to target Bollywood celebrities by sending threatening audio clips. Among those targeted were Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana. The accused had reportedly demanded Rs 5 crore from Tusshar Kapoor.

Following the threats, the actors approached senior Mumbai police officials and lodged complaints. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the investigation was subsequently handed over to the Crime Branch.

Fake Gang Identity Raises Suspicions

The sender had allegedly identified himself as Harry Boxer, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. However, during the investigation, the Crime Branch found that the voice in the threatening audio messages did not match the available voice samples of Boxer.

Suspecting that the sender was operating under a fake identity, the police launched a technical investigation to trace the source of the messages. The investigation eventually led them to Bengaluru, where Mishra was apprehended on Wednesday.

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Police Probe Possible Criminal Connections

Although the accused has reportedly claimed that his actions were intended merely as a prank to create a sensation among Bollywood personalities, investigators are examining the possibility of a deeper criminal conspiracy. Police are also probing whether Mishra had any direct or indirect connections with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang or other criminal networks.

Following his arrest, the Crime Branch is also investigating whether the accused had targeted other actors, celebrities or prominent personalities using a similar modus operandi.

Police officials believe that further interrogation after securing his custody could reveal additional details about the threats, the motive behind the extortion attempts and the possibility of other individuals being involved in the case.

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