Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Vaibhav Mishra, a 30-year-old Bengaluru-based IT engineer, for allegedly sending threatening messages to actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor. Officers said Mishra invoked the name of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but they have so far found no evidence that he was connected to the gang. The arrest introduces a distinction Hindi cinema cannot afford to miss.
A reputation built on real violence
The Bishnoi name carries weight because the underlying threat has often been genuine. Salman Khan has faced years of hostility linked to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case; the Bishnoi community regards the blackbuck as sacred. In April 2024, gunmen opened fire outside Khan’s Mumbai residence, and police linked that shooting to the Bishnoi network. The gang’s alleged involvement in the October 2024 murder of politician Baba Siddique, known to be close to Khan, made the danger feel even closer. The name has also surfaced in threats involving filmmaker Rohit Shetty, actor Ranveer Singh and comedian Kapil Sharma.
The recent escalation can be read as a timeline:
- April 2024: gunfire outside Salman Khan’s home is linked to the Bishnoi network.
- October 2024: Baba Siddique is murdered, with alleged gang involvement deepening the alarm.
- October 18, 2026: shots are fired at Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu; police say the aim was financial gain, dominance and fear.
- Recent weeks: Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana receive audio threats demanding crores.
The latest cases carry a different signature
In Tusshar Kapoor’s case, the caller allegedly identified himself as Harry Boxer, also known as Hari Chand Jat, and demanded ₹5 crore. Police found that the voice did not match the available samples of the alleged Bishnoi associate. In Ayushmann Khurrana’s case, investigators traced the threat to Mishra and said he allegedly used Instagram and the fear generated by recent gang-linked incidents to try to make quick money.
Notoriety as a weapon
This is the crucial shift. A criminal network’s reputation can itself become a tool of intimidation. By borrowing Bishnoi’s name, an extortionist can make a demand sound credible and the consequences of refusing sound more frightening—even when no real gang member is involved. For the film industry, the challenge is therefore twofold: protect actors from genuine criminal threats while ensuring that impersonators cannot exploit the same climate of fear.
The practical response is verification. Callers’ identities, voice samples and digital trails need to be tested before the industry or the public accepts that a threat is organised crime. That does not diminish the real danger of the Bishnoi network; it separates the gang’s actual reach from the fear anyone can borrow.
Source: India Weekly
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