Mumbai Court Remands Bengaluru Techie in Bollywood Extortion Threat Case

A Mumbai court on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, remanded a 30-year-old Bengaluru-based IT engineer in police custody until Tuesday, Nov. 10, in a case alleging that he threatened Bollywood actors and demanded money while posing as an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, according to The Hindu and Hindustan Times. The accused, identified as Vaibhav Mishra — also referred to in some reports as Vaibhav Chandra Mishra — was produced before the Esplanade Court after the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested him in Bengaluru and brought him to Mumbai for investigation.

Court custody and the Crime Branch case

The Hindu reported on Saturday, Nov. 7, that Mishra was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch on Nov. 4 for allegedly threatening actors Tusshar Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana, among other celebrities, and demanding ₹5 crore while claiming ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. On Friday, the Crime Branch sought his custody to examine threatening audio recordings and other technical evidence, The Hindu said. The News Minute, in a Nov. 7 report, likewise said he was arrested in Bengaluru on Nov. 4, taken to Mumbai, produced before the Esplanade Court on Friday, and remanded until Nov. 10.

Hindustan Times reported that police traced the sender’s IP address to Bengaluru and apprehended Mishra on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with help from local police. The outlet said he has been booked under Section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, covering attempt to commit extortion, based on a complaint by Khurrana. Hindustan Times also reported that investigators told the court Mishra was jobless and appeared to have sent the messages out of frustration, while saying they did not suspect a confirmed link to the Bishnoi gang but still needed to verify details recovered from his phone.

Alleged Instagram threats and ₹5 crore demand

According to The Hindu, police said Mishra allegedly contacted celebrities through Instagram, claimed association with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, issued threats and demanded money. Investigators told The Hindu that he allegedly sent threatening audio messages to Tusshar Kapoor, purportedly imitating the voice of gangster Anil Pandit, and demanded ₹5 crore. The News Minute similarly reported that police suspect he sent audio messages to Kapoor demanding ₹5 crore and mimicked Anil Pandit’s voice.

Hindustan Times reported a related account: Mishra allegedly sent an audio clip in the name of alleged Bishnoi gang operative Harry Boxer to Kapoor last week seeking a ₹5 crore ransom, and sent an extortion message to Khurrana via Instagram, after which Khurrana reported the matter. The Indian Express, in a Nov. 4 report by Mohamed Thaver, wrote that Kapoor received a threat from someone claiming to be gangster Hari Boxer and demanding Rs 5 crore, and that a voice comparison with earlier threats attributed to Hari Boxer indicated the caller was not the gangster he claimed to be.

Times Now reported on Nov. 6 that, during interrogation, Mishra reportedly admitted sending threatening voice messages to more than 50 Bollywood celebrities through their official Instagram accounts, using fake and anonymous Instagram accounts to conceal his identity and contacting them through direct messages. Times Now said police had not disclosed other names because the investigation was continuing, and that investigators analysed digital footprints and Instagram profiles to locate him in Bengaluru before a special Crime Branch team made the arrest.

Tiger Shroff firing context and copycat concerns

Multiple outlets linked the timing of the threats to a firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff. The Hindu said the threats reportedly began after that incident, after which several Bollywood personalities received threatening messages. Times Now reported that investigators said Mishra stepped up his activities following the recent firing targeting Shroff. The Indian Express quoted an officer saying police suspect Mishra tried to take advantage of fear generated in the aftermath of the firing at Tiger Shroff last month, and that he is not linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Hindustan Times said an officer familiar with the case wanted to ascertain whether the audio sent to Kapoor matched the voice of alleged Bishnoi gang operative Anil Pandit, described as an absconding accused in the Oct. 18 firing incident at Tiger Shroff’s car. The Indian Express noted that Hari Boxer, described as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, had previously issued threats to director Rohit Shetty and actor Ranveer Singh, among others, and that police have previously arrested people for “copycat” threats that use gangsters’ names.

Devices, AI suspicion and next investigative steps

The Hindu reported that the Crime Branch is analysing data recovered from Mishra’s mobile phone and examining multiple phone numbers suspected of having been used to contact celebrities, and is trying to establish whether he acted independently or had accomplices. Police told The Hindu a voice-sample examination would compare Mishra’s voice with the threatening audio recordings. The outlet also said investigators have not established whether Mishra had actual gang links or merely used the gang’s name to intimidate recipients.

Hindustan Times reported that electronic devices including his mobile phone were recovered, and that police were examining how many actors he contacted and how he obtained mobile numbers. An officer told Hindustan Times that bank details had been sought to check whether any celebrity had paid extortion money. The Indian Express quoted an officer saying police suspect Mishra used AI to generate voice samples and found actors’ contact numbers through online searches, with further details expected once he was fully in Crime Branch custody.

Times Now reported that transit-remand paperwork delayed bringing Mishra to Mumbai on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and that the Crime Branch later brought him from Bengaluru ahead of Friday’s Esplanade Court production. As of the Nov. 7 reports from The Hindu, Hindustan Times and The News Minute, the court had ordered police custody through Nov. 10 while digital and voice evidence remains under review.

Sources

• The Hindu — Yohaan Varghese (Nov. 7, 2026)
• Hindustan Times — Vinay Dalvi (Nov. 7, 2026)
• The Indian Express — Mohamed Thaver (Nov. 4, 2026)
• Times Now — Aditi Pandey (Nov. 6, 2026)
• The News Minute (Nov. 7, 2026)