Karan Johar was on Bishnoi gang’s goal checklist for extortion, ‘claims’ arrested gang member

By PTI

MUMBAI: Siddhesh Kamble alias Mahakal, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has advised investigators that Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar was on the checklist of individuals whom the gang deliberate to focus on for extortion, a police official mentioned on Saturday.

But a senior official additionally warned that these claims haven’t been verified but, and there was a risk that there was a component of bragging in Kamble’s statements. Kamble was a detailed aide of Santosh Jadhav, a suspected shooter within the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala homicide case, and effectively conscious of the homicide conspiracy, a police official mentioned.

While Kamble is within the custody of Pune rural police for an earlier case registered within the district, groups of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, Punjab Police and Mumbai Crime department have questioned him in reference to the Moosewala homicide and a risk letter acquired by Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan earlier this month.

In his statements earlier than the investigating groups, Kamble disclosed plenty of details about the Moosewala homicide conspiracy and named Santosh Jadhav and one Nagnath Suryavanshi as having been concerned within the killing, the official advised PTI.

He additionally supplied details about future plans of the Bishnoi gang, which is suspected to be behind Moosewala’s killing, the official mentioned.

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The gang had allegedly deliberate to extort Rs 5 crore from Johar by threatening him, he mentioned. As per Kamble’s assertion, Vikram Brar, brother of Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar, had mentioned these plans with him on Instagram and Signal apps.

A girl concerned in drug trafficking and a physician who had allegedly desecrated a holy guide of the Sikh group had been additionally on the goal checklist, the official mentioned. Investigating businesses are nonetheless verifying Kamble’s claims, he added.

Jadhav and his aide Navnath Suryavanshi had been arrested by Pune rural police from Bhuj in Gujarat earlier this week. After Moosewala’s homicide in May, the Bishnoi gang was attempting to benefit from the feeling it had brought about, and had determined to threaten Bollywood celebrities, the official claimed. Threatening Salman Khan for extortion was a part of this plan, hatched by Vikram Brar, he mentioned.

Police had earlier claimed, citing data given by Kamble, that Vikram Brar had despatched three members of the Bishnoi gang to Mumbai to ship the risk letter to Salman Khan. But a senior official of Pune rural police cautioned that they had been nonetheless verifying Kamble’s declare about Karan Johar being a goal for extortion.

“With some accused, there is an element of bragging in their confessions. The motive behind bragging is to gain publicity and get bigger extortion amounts. This phenomenon is common in Punjab and other neighbouring states. They (gangsters) want their names to get associated with high-profile cases,” mentioned the officer.

Five gangsters have taken duty for the Moosewala homicide, however none of them was current on the spot when the crime passed off on May 29 in Punjab’s Mansa district, he mentioned. “Mahakal is a small fish. Vikram Brar told him about Karan Johar. Why Brar told this to Mahakal, who is just a foot soldier? Because Brar wants to increase his clout and impress youths like Mahakal,” he added.