Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt received a death threat from an unidentified caller who demanded Rs 50 lakh. The person also threatened to kill Mahesh Bhatt's wife Soni Razdan and daughter Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt and father Mahesh Bhatt get death threat from unidentified caller
Mahesh Bhatt with daughter Alia Bhatt
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Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt received a death threat from an unidentified caller who demanded Rs 50 lakh. The person also threatened to kill Mahesh Bhatt's wife Soni Razdan and daughter Alia Bhatt if he failed to deposit the amount in a Lucknow-based bank branch.
Mahesh Bhatt filed a case in Juhu police station on Wednesday.
Barely 12 hours after Mahesh Bhatt registered a complaint of extortion and death threats to his family, the Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh police swung into action, detaining a man named Sandeep Sahu, a Bollywood aspirant.
In his complaint, the filmmaker claimed that he had received calls, SMSes and WhatsApp messages since February 18. The caller, who posed as Bablu Srivastava, a local gang member currently lodged in Bareilly Central Jail, asked Bhatt to deposit Rs 50 lakh in a Lucknow-based nationalised bank account.
"If you fail to do so, I will fire several rounds of bullets in your daughter Alia and wife Soni," the caller reportedly said.
A senior official, however, confirmed that the special task force of the UP police, which was investigating the case simultaneously, had detained a person early this morning. He has been identified as Sandeep Sahu. Sahu, who is a Bollywood aspirant, told the STF that he got Bhatt's number from the Internet, and that he made the extortion calls because he was in debt.
Thanking the police for their prompt action, Mahesh Bhatt tweeted, "A bolt from the blue in the form of an extortion call & threat to my family was nipped in the bud by the MH & UP police in tandem.Gratitude!"
A bolt from the blue in the form of an extortion call & threat to my family was nipped in the bud by the MH & UP police in tandem.Gratitude!
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) March 2, 2017
Mahesh Bhatt has made several award winning and critically acclaimed movies like 'Saaransh', 'Arth', 'Naam', 'Kaash', 'Daddy', 'Aashiqui', 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin' and 'Zakhm' among others.