The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly threatening comedian and actor Kapil Sharma with death and demanding Rs 1 crore in extortion.
The accused, identified as Dilip Choudhary, was nabbed from West Bengal’s 24 Parganas district after investigators tracked his location using technical surveillance.
He was produced in court and remanded in police custody till September 30.
According to police, Choudhary sent a threatening email to Sharma demanding Rs 1 crore. In the mail, he introduced himself as a member of the Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara gang. Investigators are now probing whether Choudhary actually has links to these gangsters.
Police said voice samples will be collected to match with the threatening audio clips sent to Sharma’s team.
The arrest comes weeks after Sharma’s restaurant, Kap’s Caf in Surrey, Canada, came under gunfire twice in less than a month. On August 28, at least 25 rounds were fired at the caf, shattering windows. No one was injured in the incident.
Goldy, a Bishnoi gang member wanted by the Punjab Police and the NIA, later claimed responsibility for the firing in a social media post. Security agencies believe he is currently living in Germany and has multiple extortion and murder cases registered in Punjab.
According to the crime branch, the comedian’s manager received a series of WhatsApp voice notes on September 22 and 23.
Chowdhury claimed to be working for Brar and Godara—close aides of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi—and warned that “boys” had already reached Mumbai.
One of the first clips demanded that Rs 50 lakh be sent to Kolkata and another Rs 50 lakh to men in Mumbai. “You won’t require police protection after that—we will protect you,” the caller said.
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In response to a second firing incident at comedian Kapil Sharma’s cafe in Canada and alleged threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the Mumbai Police has heightened the security of the actor and comedian.
