Death threat to Shah Rukh: Accused lawyer remanded in police custody till Nov 18

A court in Mumbai on Thursday placed a lawyer from Chhattisgarh, who was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in police custody until November 18.

The Mumbai police apprehended the accused lawyer, Faizan Khan, in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, on Tuesday. They brought him here after securing his transit remand from a Chhattisgarh court.

On Thursday, the police brought the accused before a court in Bandra and requested a seven-day remand for further investigation into the case.

The accused's lawyers, Amit Mishra and Sunil Mishra, claimed that Faizan Khan's phone was stolen prior to the alleged incident.

They argued that the threat call made from his phone was part of a conspiracy against him, pointing out that he had previously lodged a complaint with the Mumbai police against Shah Rukh Khan over a dialogue in the actor's 1994 film 'Anjaam', which referenced deer hunting.

After hearing both sides, the court placed the accused in police custody until November 18. The Bandra police station had received a call on November 5, where the caller threatened to kill Shah Rukh Khan and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh. The actor's residence is located in Bandra.

A case was filed against the unidentified caller under sections 308(4) (extortion with threats of death or serious injury) and 351(3)(4) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The caller was later identified as Faizan Khan and traced to Raipur.

Before his arrest, Faizan Khan had told reporters that his phone was stolen on November 2 and he lodged a complaint in that connection.

Regarding his objection to a scene in Shah Rukh Khan's movie, Faizan Khan had said, "I am from Rajasthan, and the Bishnoi community, which is primarily based in Rajasthan, is my friend. It is part of their religion to protect deer. So, if a Muslim makes such a statement about deer, it is condemnable. That is why I raised an objection." The death threat to the 59-year-old superstar follows a series of similar phone calls made to actor Salman Khan, allegedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

(With Inputs: PTI)