Pay ₹5cr or die: Bishnoi gang member threatens film financier
What's the story
A Pimpri Chinchwad-based businessman and film financier, Sunny Nana Waghchoure (37), has reportedly received extortion threats from a person claiming to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The accused made two WhatsApp calls to Waghchoure from an international number on January 25, which he didn't answer. Later, he received a message saying "Shubham Lonkar, Cl me," followed by a WhatsApp call that he answered.
Identity revealed
Accused introduced himself as a member of Bishnoi gang
The caller introduced himself as Shubham Lonkar, a member of the Bishnoi gang and a wanted suspect in the former MLA Baba Siddique murder case in Mumbai. The next day, Waghchoure received another WhatsApp call from an international number but didn't answer. He then got a message demanding ₹5cr as extortion money within five days or else he would be killed like Siddique.
Legal action
Accused has been booked under IPC
Waghchoure then contacted his lawyer Atish Landge and filed a complaint at the Sant Tukaram Nagar police station in Pimpri Chinchwad on Tuesday. The accused has been booked under Section 308 (5) of the Indian Penal Code, per Indian Express. The Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch is now investigating this case. They suspect that the accused might have used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to make extortion calls to Waghchoure.
Victim profile
Who is Sunny Waghchoure?
Waghchoure, a resident of Nehru Nagar in Pimpri, runs a scrap business through his steel trading company. He has financed Hindi films and was involved in the Bollywood film Zila Ghaziabad. The FIR also mentions that he appeared on Kapil Sharma's comedy show and The Khatra Khatra Show on television. He reportedly has around 25 million Instagram followers and gained popularity by wearing around three kilograms of gold ornaments at various social and commercial events.