Aditya Pancholi receives extortion calls for Rs 25 lakh

Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi is the latest celebrity to fall prey to extortion threats. The 52-year-old actor has been receiving extortion calls from an unknown person demanding Rs 25 lakh, according to a complaint submitted with Versova police station in Mumbai.

However, no FIR has been registered yet.

"We have accepted the application and are conducting inquiries into the matter. No FIR has been registered as yet," a police officer told The Hindu.

According to Aditya, a man, who identified himself as Munna Pujari, has been threatening him over the phone since October 18. He allegedly gave Pancholi a bank account number and asked him to transfer Rs 25 lakh and threatened him with dire consequences if he fails to comply with his demands.

Police have initiated a probe into the matter.

Earlier this year, Bollywood director and producer Mahesh Bhatt had lodged a complaint after getting threat calls from a person identified as Sandeep Sahu. The 26-year-old had allegedly sent text messages threatening to hurt his daughter Alia Bhatt and wife Soni Razdan if he failed to pay Rs 50 lakh.

The suspect was tracked down and arrested by Mumbai Police with the help of the UP Special Task Force (STF). He was a struggling actor who lived in Andheri, Mumbai, for almost four months in 2016 and allegedly started making extortion calls after an unsuccessful break in Bollywood to pay off money borrowed from relatives.