Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 12 (ANI): The Mumbai Crime Branch has confirmed a series of high-profile threats targeting Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Aayush Sharma with investigators suspecting links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The developments come amid an ongoing probe into the January 31, 2024, firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence.

According to a report by Mumbai Crime Branch, actor Aayush Sharma, who is also Salman Khan's brother-in-law, received a threatening email sent via Proton Mail, an end-to-end encrypted service designed to protect user identity.

Police said the sender used the platform to mask their identity and bypass conventional digital tracing mechanisms. The email allegedly claimed association with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Days earlier, actor Ranveer Singh received an extortion threat through a WhatsApp voice note sent to his manager's phone number. Police confirmed that the sender used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to conceal their network identity and location.

Mumbai Police have recorded the statement of Ranveer Singh's manager as part of the investigation.

Authorities believe the threats may be part of a coordinated intimidation campaign targeting prominent figures in the film industry.

The fresh threats follow the firing incident outside Rohit Shetty's residence last year, for which the Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility through a social media post, police said.

In connection with that case, the Mumbai Crime Branch has invoked sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against multiple accused, suspecting the involvement of an organised crime network.

Five accused were produced before a special MCOCA court on Wednesday, February 11, and remanded to police custody until February 17.

Earlier, after their initial hearing, the court had remanded them to custody until February 11, citing the seriousness of the offence and the need for joint interrogation.

During proceedings, defence advocate Ajinkya Mirgal questioned the prosecution's claims, particularly regarding the alleged supply of the weapon by Praveen Lonkar, who has been in jail for one and a half years in connection with the Baba Siddique murder case.

Police have stated that the accused communicated through the Signal app to maintain secrecy and are seeking access to additional deleted chats. Investigators allege that accused Asaram Fasle, who had reportedly worked as a garage mechanic for the Bishnoi gang, supplied weapons on the instructions of Shubham Lonkar, alleged to be the mastermind in both the Baba Siddique murder and the Shetty firing case. (ANI)