A 30-year-old Bengaluru-based IT engineer has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch for posing as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and demanding money from Bollywood actors after threatening them. The engineer, Vaibhav Mishra, allegedly threatened actors Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana and demanded Rs 5 crore from them. Vaibhav has been remanded in police custody till November 10 by a Mumbai court.
Vaibhav was arrested in Bengaluru on November 4 by the Mumbai Crime Branch and taken to Mumbai for questioning. He was produced before the Esplanade Court on Friday. The police sought his custody to investigate the threatening audio messages and examine other digital evidence gathered in the case.
According to investigators, Vaibhav allegedly approached several Bollywood celebrities through Instagram, claiming to represent the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He is accused of threatening them and demanding money.
The threats surfaced following a firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff. Several other Bollywood personalities reportedly received threatening messages around the same time.
The police suspect that Vaibhav sent audio messages to Tusshar Kapoor, demanding Rs 5 crore. He is suspected of impersonating gangster Anil Pandit by mimicking his voice. Investigators are analysing the recordings to determine how the impersonation was carried out.
The Crime Branch is also examining data extracted from Vaibhav's mobile phone and tracing several numbers allegedly used to contact the celebrities. They are also investigating whether he carried out the threats on his own or had others assisting him.
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