Salim Khan. File Pic/Atul Kamble (right) Umar Aasif Shaikh, who was booked along with his girlfriend

A Sewri-based couple was booked after allegedly threatening screenwriter Salim Khan, 88, on Thursday morning at Bandstand in Bandra West, purportedly as part of a prank. The woman allegedly approached Khan and said, “Shall I send Lawrence Bishnoi” before fleeing on a bike along with the man, Umar Aasif Shaikh, 26.

An officer said, “Khan noted four digits of the scooter’s licence number before informing his security team.” An FIR was registered under Sections 353(2), 292 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with spreading false information and creating a nuisance.”

The cops eventually traced the couple to the RAK Marg area in Sewri. The incident came a few months after the octogenarian’s son, Salman Khan, had a serious security scare when two men on a motorcycle, allegedly belonging to the Bishnoi gang, opened fire outside his residence, Galaxy Apartments.

During their interrogation, the couple said they resorted to the prank to become famous. The woman, Ashma Shaikh, 22, who was wearing a burqa at the time was told to utter, ‘Lawrence Bishnoi ko bheju kya?’

A police officer on anonymity said, “The couple doesn’t have a criminal history nor are they connected with any gang. Umar Aasif had planned the prank as he wanted to impress his girlfriend.” Meanwhile, security was beefed up at Galaxy Apartments. 

Raj Tilak Roushan, DCP, Zone IX, said, “We didn’t find evidence linking the accused to the Bishnoi gang. They committed the crime purely for fun. They admitted that it was all a prank. They did this for publicity. Still, we are checking their call records and investigating every angle.”

In another incident, a 21-year-old motorcycle-borne man, Uzar Faiz Moiyuddin, was briefly detained by the Bandra police for allegedly following Salman Khan’s convoy in a bid to approach his car early around 12.15 am on Tuesday. He was detained after a security officer promptly informed police officers stationed at Galaxy Apartments.

According to the police, the actor was heading home when the incident occurred. Moiyuddin, a Hyderabad resident, claimed he was unaware of whose convoy he was following while being questioned by the police. He was subsequently issued a notice and released.