Bengaluru engineer arrested for threatening Ayushmann Khurrana, Tusshar Kapoor
What's the story
The Mumbai Police have arrested a 30-year-old IT engineer from Bengaluru for allegedly sending threat messages to Bollywood actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor. The accused, identified as Vaibhav Mishra, reportedly posed as being linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang while making these calls. He is also suspected of sending similar voice messages to other Bollywood celebrities.
Investigation details
Accused not linked to Lawrence Bishnoi gang
A police officer said that Mishra was not actually linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
"We suspect prima facie that he tried to take advantage of the fear of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that had been generated in the aftermath of the firing at Tiger Shroff last month," the officer said, via Indian Express.
The accused is believed to have used AI-generated voice samples for these calls and found contact numbers online.
Threat messages
Kapoor received a threat demanding ₹5cr
Kapoor received a threat from someone claiming to be gangster Harry Boxer, demanding ₹5cr. However, a voice comparison with previous threats attributed to Boxer indicated that the caller was not who he claimed to be.
Similarly, Khurrana also received a threatening audio clip from someone claiming to be associated with the Bishnoi gang and allegedly demanding crores of rupees.
Connection to recent incident
Mishra's arrest comes after attack on Shroff's car
Mishra's arrest comes in the wake of a recent attack on actor Shroff's car by two bike-borne gunmen from the Bishnoi gang.
The gang had claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in Mumbai's Juhu area on October 18.
This incident has heightened security concerns among Bollywood celebrities and led to increased scrutiny of potential threats against them.
Ongoing investigation
Mumbai Police investigating extortion attempts
The Mumbai Police's Anti-Extortion Cell and Crime Branch are currently investigating the motive behind Mishra's threats and his involvement in the extortion attempts.
A technical examination of the threatening audio messages is underway, including a comparison with official voice samples of Boxer available in police records.
Meanwhile, 13 individuals have been arrested in the Shroff shooting case so far.