Barely 12 hours after filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt registered a complaint of extortion and death threats to his family, the Mumbai and UP police detained a man named Sandeep Sahu, a Bollywood aspirant
Man threatening producer Mahesh Bhatt on call and text message is a failed acting aspirant from UP, say police
Mahesh and Alia Bhatt
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Barely 12 hours after filmmaker 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. Bhatt had approached the Mumbai police's anti-extortion cell last night, after he received calls from an unknown person demanding Rs 50 lakh as extortion money.
If Bhatt failed to cough up the amount, the caller had threatened to harm his actress daughter Alia and wife, Soni Razdan.
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.
Alia Bhatt
Thanking the police for their prompt action, Bhatt tweeted at 9 am this morning: "A bolt from the blue in the form of an extortion call and 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
For now, the police have provided security at Bhatt's office and home. Alia, who is currently promoting her upcoming film across the country, has also been given additional security. "She has been given protection, but her work isn't affected," a source said.
Bhatt's producer brother Mukesh Bhatt also applauded the police. "No sooner did we file a complaint, the police took quick action and traced the caller," he said.
Mahesh Bhatt
When contacted, Ashok Dudhe, spokesperson for Mumbai police, said, "As of now, no arrest has been made, but investigations are on."
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.
With inputs from Bharti Dubey
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