Overview
- Shetty’s staff received a 90-second audio clip on Saturday that demanded ₹20 crore and warned that the filmmaker would be killed if the money was not paid.
- Mumbai police have registered an offence and deployed a special technical team to trace the caller using phone records and other digital leads.
- Investigators say the voice in the clip is prima facie that of Shubham Lonkar and have sent the recording for forensic voice analysis to confirm the identity.
- The extortion demand follows a February 1 firing outside Shetty’s Juhu home that led the Crime Branch to file a 1,624-page charge-sheet and make multiple arrests.
- Authorities and film-industry security teams say the incident fits a pattern of threats linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and has led to stepped-up protection for Shetty and other public figures.