Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 6, 2017)

Filmmaker Boney Kapoor has pledged to take action against the imposter who hacked his Twitter account and sent messages to people demanding money.

Kapoor, who is currently shooting for his next film in Bangkok, realised his social media account had been hacked after receiving a series of calls from Mumbai. “I was shocked. My first instinct was to reach out to the most trusted people in my office and ask them to contact the cyber crime cell,” says the filmmaker, asserting that he will take charge of the situation. “I won’t let this go easy. Legal action will be taken. Impersonating is a grievous offense and it could happen to anybody. If we don’t take action, someone else could be at risk tomorrow,” says Kapoor, whose Twitter account has been inactive since September 2015.

Industry folk and mediapersons received messages from Kapoor’s Twitter handle on Friday, requesting that Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 be transferred to his account. When those receiving the messages enquired the reason for it, they were told it was for a show in Lucknow. The imposter even shared a contact number, which is now unavailable, to make the money transfer.

Moreover, a caller identification app revealed the number belonged to Gujarat, while the name read Boney Kapoor. Kapoor’s office will file an official complaint today.