Highlights
- Salman Khan has faced repeated threats linked to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, while recent incidents involving Tiger Shroff, Rohit Shetty and Ranveer Singh have raised fresh security concerns.
- Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor were among the actors targeted by extortion threats from a man allegedly posing as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
- Police are investigating whether criminals are exploiting the gang's notoriety to intimidate celebrities and demand money.
Bollywood's relationship with the underworld has a long history, but a series of recent threats, extortion demands and shooting incidents has brought the issue back into focus. From Salman Khan and Tiger Shroff to Ranveer Singh, Rohit Shetty, Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor, several prominent entertainment figures have found themselves caught up in incidents involving alleged criminal networks.
The name of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has repeatedly surfaced in these cases. However, not every threat or attack has been established as an operation carried out by his network. Recent arrests have also highlighted how criminals can use the reputation of a notorious gang to frighten celebrities and attempt to extort money.
On November 3, 2026, Mumbai Police arrested a 30-year-old Bengaluru-based IT engineer, identified as Vaibhav Mishra, over alleged threatening messages sent to Ayushmann and Tusshar. Police said preliminary investigations had found no evidence linking him to the Bishnoi gang. An officer also told The Indian Express that investigators suspected he may have used AI-generated voice samples to impersonate gang associates.
The arrest raises a wider question: why are celebrities being targeted, and how much of the growing concern is connected to organized crime rather than individuals exploiting its reputation?
Why are Bollywood celebrities being targeted?
Celebrities are visible public figures with substantial professional networks and are often perceived to have considerable wealth. This can make them attractive targets for extortionists looking for money or publicity.
Threatening a well-known actor can also create attention beyond the individual victim. A criminal group can use a high-profile incident to project influence, spread fear and reinforce its reputation. The US Department of Justice's 2026 indictment concerning the Lawrence Bishnoi network described how claims of violence against prominent cultural, political and business figures could be used to promote the criminal organization and intimidate others.
The Bishnoi gang's association with Bollywood became particularly prominent through its repeated threats against Salman Khan. The hostility has been linked to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Jodhpur. The Bishnoi community regards the blackbuck as sacred, and the gangster has cited the case in connection with his threats against the actor.
The dispute escalated over the years. On April 14, 2024, two motorcycle-borne gunmen opened fire outside Salman's Galaxy Apartments residence in Mumbai. The actor was unharmed, and investigators pursued the case as part of a wider probe into the alleged criminal network.
The incident brought renewed attention to the security risks faced by celebrities, particularly when criminal groups use public threats and claims of responsibility to create fear.
From Salman Khan to Ayushmann Khurrana: Celebrities caught up in threats and attacks
Salman Khan, Tiger Shroff and Rohit Shetty
Salman has faced repeated threats allegedly linked to Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates. The April 2024 firing outside his Mumbai home remains one of the most prominent incidents involving a Bollywood star and the alleged network.
Tiger Shroff became part of the latest series of incidents after gunmen opened fire at his car in Mumbai's Juhu area on October 18, 2026. The actor escaped without injury, while reports said his driver and another person were injured. A claim of responsibility circulated in the name of people linked to the Bishnoi network.
The investigation also brought other high-profile actors into the picture. According to The Indian Express, the men accused of carrying out the attack had visited buildings where Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan lived during their stay in Mumbai. Police were investigating whether these visits were connected to specific targets or whether the men had gone there out of curiosity. The visits alone do not establish that the actors were selected for an attack.
Filmmaker Rohit Shetty's Juhu residence also came under fire on February 1, 2026. An unidentified shooter reportedly fired multiple rounds outside the property, with no injuries reported. An account claiming links to the Bishnoi gang subsequently claimed responsibility. The incident was investigated as part of the wider pattern of threats and shootings involving entertainment personalities.
Ranveer Singh and Tusshar Kapoor
Ranveer Singh's manager reportedly received an extortion threat in February 2026 from a person identified as Hari Chand Jaat, also known as Harry Boxer, an alleged operative of the Bishnoi gang. The caller reportedly demanded more than Rs 10 crore and sent an audio message through a talent management company.
The actor and filmmaker Rohit Shetty were also among those who received further threatening messages from someone claiming to represent the gang. Police registered cases and investigated the demands.
Tusshar Kapoor faced a separate extortion attempt in November 2026. A caller claiming to be Harry Boxer reportedly demanded Rs 5 crore from the actor. However, a preliminary voice comparison by Mumbai Police suggested that the recording did not match available samples attributed to the alleged gang associate.
The case took another turn when police arrested Bengaluru-based engineer Vaibhav Mishra. Investigators alleged that he had sent threatening messages to several Bollywood personalities while pretending to be associated with the Bishnoi gang.
Ayushmann Khurrana
Ayushmann was among the latest actors to receive an alleged extortion threat. The sender reportedly contacted him through an audio message, claimed links to the Bishnoi gang and demanded crores of rupees.
Police traced the messages to Mishra, who was arrested in Bengaluru. According to officers quoted by The Indian Express, investigators suspected that he had tried to exploit the fear created by the recent firing incident involving Tiger Shroff.
Police also said they suspected the accused had used AI to generate voice samples and obtained the actors' contact details through online searches. At the time of the reports, investigators were continuing to establish his motive and whether other celebrities had received similar messages.
The case illustrates why a threat made in a gangster's name should not automatically be treated as proof of that gang's involvement.
Gippy Grewal and AP Dhillon
The incidents have also extended beyond Bollywood to Punjabi entertainers and artists based overseas.
In November 2023, shots were fired outside the Canadian residence of Punjabi actor and singer Gippy Grewal. Lawrence Bishnoi subsequently claimed responsibility in an online post. A 2026 US indictment also referred to the shooting and alleged threats made against Grewal by members and associates of the Bishnoi network.
Punjabi-Canadian singer AP Dhillon's residence on Vancouver Island was targeted in a shooting on September 1, 2024. A person claiming to be part of the Lawrence Bishnoi-Godara network took responsibility for the incident on social media and referred to Dhillon's music video featuring Salman Khan. Canadian police arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting.
The reported claim linked the attack to Dhillon's association with Salman, although the gang's statement should be distinguished from independently established evidence about the motive.
Kapil Sharma
Comedian Kapil Sharma's restaurant, Kap's Cafe, in Surrey, Canada, was targeted in a series of shootings in 2025.
The attacks involved claims of responsibility from different criminal groups. One group reportedly objected to a joke on The Kapil Sharma Show, while a separate claim attributed to a Bishnoi gang associate linked another shooting to Sharma inviting Salman Khan to his Netflix show.
The incidents took place at the business rather than at Sharma himself. Police investigated the shootings as part of a wider pattern of extortion and intimidation affecting businesses in the area.
The case also demonstrates why it is important not to attribute every attack involving an entertainment personality to the same criminal network.
Is the Lawrence Bishnoi gang behind every celebrity threat?
The recent cases highlight the difference between an attack linked to an organized criminal network and an individual using a gang's name to make an extortion demand.
In the cases involving Ayushmann and Tusshar, police arrested a suspect who allegedly impersonated a gang associate. Investigators said they had found no evidence of his connection to the Bishnoi network at the time of the arrest.
There have also been incidents in which different groups have claimed responsibility for the same attack. During the shootings at Kapil Sharma's Canadian cafe, for example, separate criminal groups claimed responsibility for different incidents. Surrey Police have cautioned that an online claim does not, by itself, prove who carried out an attack.
The firing outside actor Disha Patani's family residence in Bareilly in September 2025 is another case that should be kept separate. A purported social media post claiming responsibility named the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar network, rather than the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Police said they were verifying the authenticity of the claim.
These distinctions matter because there is no publicly verified list establishing that all the celebrities involved in these incidents have been formally placed on a single Bishnoi gang hit list.
Why the fear around the underworld matters
The repeated appearance of the Bishnoi gang's name in celebrity threats has created a climate of concern in the entertainment industry. But the latest arrests suggest that the gang's notoriety can also be exploited by people with no established connection to it.
For extortionists, invoking the name of a criminal network may make a demand sound more dangerous and increase the pressure on a potential victim to pay. A threat against a celebrity can also attract publicity, potentially giving the sender the attention they want.
For actors, singers, filmmakers and their families, the challenge is to take genuine threats seriously while allowing investigators to establish who is actually behind them.
The cases involving Salman Khan, Tiger Shroff, Ranveer Singh and others show how criminal intimidation has become a concern for prominent entertainment figures. The threats against Ayushmann and Tusshar, meanwhile, reveal another side of the problem: sometimes the fear surrounding a notorious gang can become a weapon in itself.
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