Mumbai, 18 July

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has allegedly received a threat from individuals claiming links to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, accusing him of promoting "love jihad", with Mumbai Police examining the authenticity of a social media post and a voice note, officials said on Saturday.

City police commissioner Deven Bharti said the police are verifying the authenticity of the social media post and the voice note. "We are examining the veracity of the social media post and voice clip," Bharti added.

No formal complaint has been lodged by Khan or his representatives regarding the alleged threat so far.

The purported threat was issued through a social media post and an accompanying voice clip allegedly shared by two men who identified themselves as Arzu Bishnoi and Tyson Bishnoi. They described themselves as associates of Lawrence Bishnoi, a police official said, citing the viral clip.

They accused Khan of promoting "love jihad", an allegation linked to the actor's recent third marriage with Gauri Spratt, and warned that those perceived to be encouraging such behaviour would face consequences.

The term ‘love jihad’ is used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into relationships and marriage to convert them to Islam.

The voice note also referred to the recent case of a13-year-old girl in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district who was allegedly abducted, trafficked and sexually assaulted, while warning political leaders against shielding any of the accused. The claims regarding the threat have not been independently verified.

Bishnoi and his syndicate allegedly targeted actor Salman Khan for years. Driven by a 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan, the conflict has escalated to the 2024 shooting at Khan's residence in Mumbai, ongoing death threats, and international indictments.

Recently, the US charged Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the assassination of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Earlier this year, at least five rounds were fired at the first floor of filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s nine-storey house in Juhu area of Mumbai, one of which struck the glass of a gym inside the building. The Mumbai Police filed a 1624-page chargesheet against 17 accused in a special MCOCA court in April.

While 15 persons have been arrested in the firing case, Shubham Lonkar and Arzoo Bishnoi, part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, were shown as wanted accused. The duo had taken responsibility for the incident through a social media post, police had said.