Vegetable seller arrested over threat to Salman Khan, Rs 5-crore ransom demand

The vegetable seller issued the threat on October 18 but later apologised, saying it was sent by mistake.

In Short

• Ransom demand of Rs 5 crore made in Lawrence Bishnoi's name
• Police tracked and arrested suspect with help from Jamshedpur Police
• Threat linked to recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique

Mumbai Police have arrested a vegetable seller from Jamshedpur who allegedly threatened Bollywood actor Salman Khan, demanding a ransom of Rs 5 crore in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The arrest follows an investigation initiated after the Mumbai Traffic Police received a threatening message on October 18.

According to police officials, the case was registered against an unknown individual, prompting a swift investigation. "With the help of local police in Jamshedpur, we tracked and arrested the person responsible for the threat. He will be brought to Mumbai for further questioning," a police spokesperson stated.

The initial threat message claimed that Salman Khan's life was in danger unless he paid the extortion money. The sender asserted, "Don’t take it lightly; if Salman Khan wants to stay alive and end the enmity with Lawrence Bishnoi, he will have to pay Rs 5 crore. If the money is not given, Salman Khan’s condition will be worse than Baba Siddique’s."

On October 21, the same sender contacted the police again, apologising for the earlier message and claiming it had been sent by mistake.

However, authorities took the threats seriously, especially in light of the recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, a close friend of Salman Khan.

In response to the threats, the security detail for Salman Khan has been increased. The actor returned to Bigg Boss 18 shortly after Siddique’s death, revealing that he was hesitant to return due to the difficult circumstances but felt obligated to fulfil his work commitments.

Notably, Khan had earlier received death threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Suspected members of the gang had opened fire outside the actor’s Bandra home in April this year.

A few months back, the Navi Mumbai police uncovered a plot by the Bishnoi gang to kill Khan, leading to security enhancement for the actor.