Mumbai: A 25-year-old Rajasthan man, who was arrested on charges of criminal intimidation for allegedly uploading a video threatening to eliminate Salman Khan, was brought to Mumbai on Sunday and produced before a local court which remanded him in police custody till June 18.

The south cyber police registered an FIR on June 12 after Banwarilal Laturlal Gujjar allegedly uploaded the video on his YouTube channel.

Police said the video was shot on a highway. They traced the IP address to Rajasthan. “Considering the seriousness of the case, a team of the anti-extortion cell of crime branch, led by inspector Arun Thorat, was sent to Rajasthan and Gurjar was arrested from Bundi village,” said DCP Datta Nalawade.

Police said Gurjar had used a fictitious name, ‘Are choddo yaar’, and email address, but they managed to track him down from his mobile number. “We are checking if he has a criminal background. Gurjar has been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 506(2) (punishment for criminal in timidation), as well as the Information Technology Act,” said a police officer.

In 2022, Khan’s security was elevated to Y-plus category — six personal security officers in three shifts 24x7 and five armed guards at his residence — following multiple threats from the Bishnoi gang due to the actor’s alleged involvement in the 1997 blackbuck killing case during the shooting of the film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ in Rajasthan. Blackbucks are considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.

In the wee hours of April 14, two bike-borne men, allegedly belonging to the Bishnoi gang, fired multiple rounds outside Khan’s Bandra residence. A total of seven persons were arrested in connection with the firing case. One of accused, Anuj Thapan, allegedly hanged himself in police lock-up on May 1.

Last month, Navi Mumbai police arrested five men who were allegedly planning an ambush near Khan’s Panvel farmhouse using sophisticated weapons.

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While the Mumbai Crime Branch is initiating the process of obtaining gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s custody from Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat in connection with the Salman Khan firing case, the actor has received yet another threat from a YouTuber. The YouTuber, through his channel, claimed to have the support of Bishnoi and Goldy Brar and stated that he intends to kill the actor. The Crime Branch swiftly took action and arrested the YouTuber in Rajasthan.

According to the Crime Branch, after the YouTube video was brought to their notice, the cyber cell started working on tracing the location from where the video was uploaded. They also reached out to YouTube to remove the video from their platform and registered an offence under various sections of the IPC and IT Act.

“An offence was registered at the South Cyber Police Station under sections 506(2), 504, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66(d) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Considering the seriousness of the case, a police team was dispatched to Rajasthan for the investigation, and the accused was arrested and brought to Mumbai,” said DCP Datta Nalawade, Detection.

The accused arrested by the South Cyber Police was identified as Banwarilal Laturlal Gujjar, 25, from Bundi district, Rajasthan. Gujar was apprehended for allegedly discussing the Bishnoi Gang and making threats to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan in a video posted on the YouTube channel “Are Chhodo Yar.”

Officials have found that the accused shared multiple videos supporting gangsters Bishnoi and Brar. “We are verifying if he is a member of the Bishnoi gang. As of now, we haven’t found any criminal background, but this is being checked with the state concerned,” an officer said. The Crime Branch, already investigating the firing incident outside Khan’s residence on April 14 and has arrested several gang members.