
At least five Bollywood celebrities have received extortion calls allegedly linked to fugitive gangster Shubham Lonkar, who is believed to be operating on behalf of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, The Times of India reported.
Despite intelligence inputs and threat information, none of the celebrities has so far lodged a formal complaint, creating challenges for investigators.
The issue came to light after unidentified persons fired shots outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s bungalow early Sunday. No one was injured in the incident. Police officials said there is still no clear reason why Shetty’s residence was targeted, leading them to believe the firing may have been meant to spread fear rather than target him personally.
Extortion calls, but no formal complaints
According to the police, associates of Shubham Lonkar have allegedly contacted at least five Bollywood personalities and demanded money. However, none of those who allegedly received the calls has come forward to give a statement or file a complaint.
“We have intelligence inputs suggesting multiple threat and extortion calls. But when no one is ready to officially complain, it becomes very difficult for the police to act,” a police official was quoted by TOI as saying. The officer added that police cannot move ahead effectively if people expect action without sharing details.
Police also said Rohit Shetty himself has denied receiving any extortion or threat calls. This has raised questions about a social media post allegedly made by Lonkar, in which he claimed responsibility for the firing and said Shetty had been warned several times earlier.
Threat post claims responsibility for firing
In the social media post, written in both Hindi and English, Lonkar and other alleged associates claimed they were behind the firing outside Shetty’s house. The post warned that the incident was only a “trailer” and threatened more serious violence if their message was ignored. It also carried a broader warning to the entire Bollywood industry, asking it to “mend its ways”.
Police are verifying the authenticity of the post and checking whether it is directly linked to the firing. Officials said the language and tone of the message suggest an attempt to create panic and assert control. This has been a pattern seen in previous cases linked to the Bishnoi gang.
Multiple police teams have been sent to different parts of the country to trace the shooter involved in the firing outside Shetty’s bungalow. Investigators believe that arresting the gunman could help identify who ordered the attack and confirm whether it was linked to an extortion attempt.
“At this stage, extortion appears to be the most likely motive, though we are not ruling out other angles,” a police officer said.
In earlier incidents, the Bishnoi gang has claimed different motives for attacks. In the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence, the gang said it was seeking revenge over the killing of a blackbuck, an animal considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui was allegedly targeted for hurting community sentiments during a show.
After the murder of politician Baba Siddiqui, the gang claimed he was close to Salman Khan and also alleged he had links with Dawood Ibrahim. They also cited revenge for the death of their associate Anuj Thapan, who died in police custody after being arrested in the Salman Khan firing case.
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