MUMBAI, India — The Mumbai Crime Branch has traced the sender of a threatening WhatsApp voice note demanding Rs 1 crore from actor Ranveer Singh, identifying it as allegedly belonging to Harry Boxer, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, officials said on Thursday.
According to Mumbai Police, preliminary investigation indicates that the voice note demanding extortion money was sent by Harry Boxer, who is believed to be linked to the Bishnoi gang. Investigators said the voice in the message has been identified as Boxer’s, though officials emphasized that additional evidence is still being collected.
The voice note has been sent for forensic examination, and authorities are awaiting the report to further corroborate the findings.
Police said the threat was sent to the mobile number of Ranveer Singh’s manager following a recent firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence. The message reportedly included a demand for money along with threats, prompting authorities to increase security for the actor.
The statement of Ranveer’s manager was recorded by the Crime Branch three days ago, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Officials said the threat was routed through a VPN network, with the location traced so far to a foreign country. Interpol’s assistance is being sought to determine the origin of the VPN and identify which country’s network was used at the time the message was sent.
In connection with related cases, the Crime Branch has also recorded the statement of actor Aayush Sharma’s manager, who is Salman Khan’s brother-in-law. Investigations in both matters are continuing, and police said a formal FIR is expected to be registered soon.
On the professional front, Ranveer Singh is set to appear next in the sequel to the blockbuster Dhurandhar. Titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the film is scheduled for release on March 19.
The film also stars R. Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal. The first installment of a planned two-part series, the project centers on a high-stakes covert counterterrorism operation involving an undercover Indian intelligence agent infiltrating criminal syndicates and political power structures in Pakistan to dismantle a terror network targeting India.
The storyline draws inspiration from several real-life geopolitical events and conflicts in South Asia, including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and developments linked to Pakistan’s Operation Lyari. (Source: IANS)
