Bengaluru Engineer Held for Extortion Threats to Bollywood Stars

A 30-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru is in police custody after allegedly sending extortion threats to Bollywood actors Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana. The Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Vaibhav Mishra on November 4 and brought him to Mumbai for questioning.

Court Remand And Evidence

A Mumbai court sent Mishra to police custody until November 10. Investigators presented him before the Esplanade Court on Friday to secure more time for examining threatening audio recordings and digital evidence. Police recovered data from his mobile phone and are checking several phone numbers linked to the messages.

Methods And Demands

The accused allegedly used Instagram to contact multiple film celebrities while pretending to be part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Investigators state he demanded five crore rupees from Tusshar Kapoor and sent audio clips where he allegedly imitated gangster Anil Pandit. Officers are checking if Mishra worked alone or with helpers and plan to test his voice against the recordings.

Context

High-profile extortion threats targeting film personalities often exploit the names of notorious gangs to create fear and force victims to pay large sums of money. Police cyber cells routinely track digital footprints, mobile data, and social media accounts to trace anonymous senders and verify if real criminal syndicates are involved.