Karan Johar was extortion target of Lawrence Bishnoi gang that threatened Salman Khan, claims arrested gang member Mahakal

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang was targeting more celebrities apart from Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan, investigations in the the Salman Khan threat case have revealed. Sourav Kamble alias Mahakal – the accused arrested in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case – has informed during the investigations that the Bishnoi gang was targeting another Bollywood celebrity, producer and director Karan Johar.

According to reports, Karan Johar was also on the hitlist of the Bishnoi gang besides Salman Khan and Salim who was threatened by the gang. During the interrogation by the Pune police, Sourav Kamble alias Mahakal made this revelation.

Sourav Kamble told Pune police that according to the Bishnoi gang, Karan Johar was responsible for the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and they were enraged at Karan Johar for this. The Bishnoi gang was therefore planning to threaten Karan Johar and extort Rs 5 crore from him.

Sourav Kamble also told Pune police that he was working only for Vikram Brar with whom he was connected through the Signal App. Therefore Sourav Kamble knew many moves and targets of the Bishnoi gang well in advance. Pune police are further investigating to verify the claims made by Sourav Kamble during the questioning. Vikram Brar is brother of Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar.

According to Kamble, a woman allegedly involved in drug dealing and a doctor accused of desecrating a Sikh holy book was also on the hitlist ofthe gang.

However, the police have said that the claims of Kamble have not been verified yet, and there is a possibility that Kamble could be exaggerating his statements. A  a senior official of Pune rural police said, “With some accused, there is an element of bragging in their confessions. The motive behind bragging is to gain publicity and get bigger extortion amounts. This phenomenon is common in Punjab and other neighbouring states. They (gangsters) want their names to get associated with high-profile cases.” The police officer said that they are verifying the claims.

Film writer Salim Khan was seated on a bench at the Bandra Bandstand after a morning stroll on Sunday, June 5 morning at about 7.40 AM, according to the police, when an unidentified individual handed him a note. After the threat letter was delivered to Salim Khan the Maharashtra Department of Home Affairs reinforced the security of Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan. “Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Bahut Jald Aapka Moosewala Hoga KGBLB” (Salim Khan, Salman Khan, very soon you will end up like Moosewala), said the anonymous message addressed to the star and his father.

On 7th June 2022, Mumbai Police Department recorded Salman Khan’s statement in the death threat case. The actor was asked whether he had gotten any recent threat calls or messages or had any disputes or arguments with anyone. Salman Khan stated that he has not received any threats.  He also indicated that he had had no recent conflicts with anyone that may have resulted in the death threats.

Mumbai Police traced the links of the threat to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang which was already making headlines over their links to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Now the investigations have revealed that other Bollywood celebrities like Karan Johar were also the targets of the Bishnoi gang.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia