Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been the target of a threatening call demanding a ransom of ₹50 lakh, which was made directly to a police station in Mumbai's Bandra. The call, traced to Raipur in Chhattisgarh, allegedly came from a young man named Faizan. Mumbai Police have registered a case and dispatched a team to Raipur to investigate further, tracking Faizan's location via an active phone number used in the threat.
This is not the first time Shah Rukh Khan has been threatened. Following the immense success of his films 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan', the actor received a death threat in October 2023, leading to an increase in his security detail. As a result, Khan, who is widely regarded as King Khan in Bollywood, was assigned Y+ security, which ensures six armed personnel accompany him around the clock. This protection was upgraded from the earlier security arrangement, which had only two armed guards.
Shah Rukh Khan has previously faced threats from the Mumbai underworld and has stood firm in the face of such intimidation. However, this recent threat comes amid growing concerns about the safety of top Bollywood celebrities, with Salman Khan also facing repeated threats, particularly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
On Wednesday, another 32-year-old man from Rajasthan, Bhikha Ram (also known as Vikram), was arrested in Karnataka for issuing a death threat to Salman Khan. The accused, a daily wage worker from Jalore, reportedly made the threat after watching a news report. He claimed to be a fan of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose gang has been behind multiple threats to Khan in recent months. This particular threat followed a demand for ₹5 crore from Salman Khan, with the threat claiming that Khan needed to apologize at a temple for the alleged killing of a blackbuck — a sacred animal to the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan.
Salman Khan has already faced an assassination attempt in April when suspected shooters from the Bishnoi gang opened fire outside his Mumbai residence. In response to the escalating threats, his security cover has also been increased.
The growing number of threats to high-profile celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan has raised serious concerns about the safety of Bollywood stars, with the authorities scrambling to ensure their protection amid the rise of criminal gangs and extortion rackets targeting the industry.
