MUMBAI: After two years of a fragile peace,Bollywood phones are once again ringing off the hook with extortion calls. According to sources, the threats, which began in a small way in 2009, have escalated in 2011. Among the big names to have been threatened in the last fortnight are actor-producer Sohail Khan, producer Ritesh Sidhwani and actor Vivek Oberoi. All three calls were allegedly made by fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari.
While Vivek Oberoi and his father Suresh told the Juhu police on Wednesday that they had received a menacing call from Pujari, Khan and Sidhwani had registered their individual complaints on September 9 with additional commissioner of police (west region) Vishwas Nangre Patil. All three calls were made from international numbers, the police said. Neither the Oberois nor Khan was available for comment.
Nangre Patil, who confirmed that Khan and Sidhwani had approached him, said that the police review the security of the victims whenever they receive a complaint or information about extortion cases. Police officials to review security of film stars
Police sources said that actor-producer Sohail Khan and film-maker Ritesh Sidhwani had been provided police protection, while actor Vivek Oberoi had applied for it. All three have reported to have threatening extortion calls from the underworld. "Police teams are working on the case, and nothing can be disclosed about the investigation," said a police officer, who also refused to disclose the ransom amount demanded.
There have been allegations that in many cases it is industry insiders who provide the contact details of a victim to the gangsters. Indeed , Sidhwani is supposed to have been contacted on a friend's land line when he was at the latter's house. "We are taking all precautions and are reviewing the security of all film personalities. After the arrest of several Ravi Pujari gang members, the operations of this gang have been crippled but they are still trying to resurface," said an officer.
The newest cases are not the only extortion calls made to Bollywood. This year, six film personalities, including the patriarch of one of Bollywood's biggest banners, got ransom demands of Rs 5 crore from Pujari. However, none of them lodged a police complaint. Pujari, who is known for negotiating and reducing the ransom amount, is suspected to be hiding somewhere inBangkok. "Last month, another well-known producer got protection from the police after Pujari called him and four other persons from the film industry," says a Bollywood insider. "The police have instructed the industry not to speak about this in the media."
A member of the industry claimed that no one had paid up but police sources said that some have been complying with Pujari's demands. Pujari, who was earlier part of the Chhota Rajan gang, has been operating on his own after he parted ways with Rajan. This gang has been responsible for several firings in the city this year.
In April, four members of the Pujari gang were arrested by the crime branch for two shootout cases that claimed two lives. The police said that four captured gangsters were involved in the shootouts in Andheri on March 14 and Vashi on February 14 this year. "In the Andheri case, a construction site supervisor and an engineer were shot dead, while a site engineer was injured in firing at Vashi's sector 17," a cop said.
While Vivek Oberoi and his father Suresh told the Juhu police on Wednesday that they had received a menacing call from Pujari, Khan and Sidhwani had registered their individual complaints on September 9 with additional commissioner of police (west region) Vishwas Nangre Patil. All three calls were made from international numbers, the police said. Neither the Oberois nor Khan was available for comment.
Nangre Patil, who confirmed that Khan and Sidhwani had approached him, said that the police review the security of the victims whenever they receive a complaint or information about extortion cases. Police officials to review security of film stars
Police sources said that actor-producer Sohail Khan and film-maker Ritesh Sidhwani had been provided police protection, while actor Vivek Oberoi had applied for it. All three have reported to have threatening extortion calls from the underworld. "Police teams are working on the case, and nothing can be disclosed about the investigation," said a police officer, who also refused to disclose the ransom amount demanded.
There have been allegations that in many cases it is industry insiders who provide the contact details of a victim to the gangsters. Indeed , Sidhwani is supposed to have been contacted on a friend's land line when he was at the latter's house. "We are taking all precautions and are reviewing the security of all film personalities. After the arrest of several Ravi Pujari gang members, the operations of this gang have been crippled but they are still trying to resurface," said an officer.
The newest cases are not the only extortion calls made to Bollywood. This year, six film personalities, including the patriarch of one of Bollywood's biggest banners, got ransom demands of Rs 5 crore from Pujari. However, none of them lodged a police complaint. Pujari, who is known for negotiating and reducing the ransom amount, is suspected to be hiding somewhere inBangkok. "Last month, another well-known producer got protection from the police after Pujari called him and four other persons from the film industry," says a Bollywood insider. "The police have instructed the industry not to speak about this in the media."
A member of the industry claimed that no one had paid up but police sources said that some have been complying with Pujari's demands. Pujari, who was earlier part of the Chhota Rajan gang, has been operating on his own after he parted ways with Rajan. This gang has been responsible for several firings in the city this year.
In April, four members of the Pujari gang were arrested by the crime branch for two shootout cases that claimed two lives. The police said that four captured gangsters were involved in the shootouts in Andheri on March 14 and Vashi on February 14 this year. "In the Andheri case, a construction site supervisor and an engineer were shot dead, while a site engineer was injured in firing at Vashi's sector 17," a cop said.
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