On February 26, late in the night, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt received an extortion call from an anonymous caller who demanded Rs. 50 lakhs from him. He further threatened to kill him, his daughter Alia Bhatt, and wife Soni Razdan, if he failed to give the money demanded. “If you fail to do so, I will fire several rounds of bullets in your daughter Alia and wife Soni,” were the caller’s exact words. He demanded that the filmmaker should deposit the money in a Lucknow-based bank branch as soon as possible.
Bhatt initially thought this was some ridiculous prank and decided to not take it seriously. However, the caller then sent him several threatening texts and Whatsapp messages, warning him to not take the matter lightly. Following this, the Bhatts approached the Juhu police station where a case has been registered, and transferred to the Anti-Extortion Cell for further investigation.
Talking to India Today, a police officer said, “A case is registered under section 387 (causing a person to fear death or grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion.)" The police immediately beefed up the security around all the members of the family and began investigating the matter further. Following this, the Anti-Extortion cell with the help of the Special Task Force, Uttar Pradesh Police, managed to identify the culprit. The culprit has been identified as a 24-year-old man named Sandeep Sahoo, who addressed himself as Bablu Shrivastav while talking to Mahesh Bhatt. The police are now on their way to take the man in custody.
Thanking the Maharashtra and UP Police, Mahesh Bhatt tweeted:
(Also read: Mahesh Bhatt: I’m suffering from Alia withdrawals)