Police Step Up Security For Ranveer

Ranveer Singh has received an extortion threat, sending ripples of panic through Bollywood, and leading to security being stepped up around Mumbai’s Beau Monde Housing Society, where Ranveer and Deepika Padukone live with their baby daughter, Dua. The threat was allegedly delivered through a voice note. While initial details were scarce, reports later indicated that an unidentified sender demanded ₹10 crore. Authorities have not officially confirmed the amount.

According to PTI, investigators suspect possible links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has launched a probe, examining digital trails and intelligence inputs to trace the source of the message. Officials believe the primary motive appears to be extortion. The development follows closely on the firing incident outside director Rohit Shetty’s residence last week, deepening anxiety within the film industry.

With memories of the underworld’s grip on Bollywood in the 1990s still vivid, there is growing concern about whether a fresh wave of threats is emerging.

Director-producer Ram Gopal Varma is, however, not inclined to panic. Having researched the underworld for his film Satya in the 1990s, Varma feels it’s unlikely that an structured criminal gang is at work this time around. “For all we know, it’s just somebody having fun,” he says, adding, “It is not possible really for a criminal organization with a brand to surface. Even Bishnoi’s roots are in another state, not in Bombay city. When this used to happen in ’97-98, I think the whole thing was like a movement in terms of the scale, not some isolated incident. Everyone was under threat. Everyone who was somebody. Remember Rakesh Roshan – he was actually shot at. They tried to kill producer Manmohan Shetty, then of course, Rajiv Rai. That I don't believe will come back.” Drawing a distinction, he said, “An organized crime is different from an isolated incident, which could be a crime caused by anything, including someone doing something just for the heck of it. Bishnoi is the only guy who keeps claiming he’s done it. For him it’s a badge of honour.” Varma recalled, “There used to be a guy at that time (1990s) called Ali Budesh, who claimed responsibility for everyone who was killed.”