Mumbai: 23-year-old arrested for threatening actor

Praveenkumar Pradhan, a waiter at a restaurant, had sent similar SMSs to some other leading actors, the police said, in what is probably an attempt to extort money.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested for sending threatening messages to a popular Bollywood actor, saying he would kill her children.

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According to the BKC cyber police, the actor’s manager received four text messages, addressed to her, around 3am on November 25.

Praveenkumar Pradhan, a waiter at a restaurant, had sent similar SMSs to some other leading actors, the police said, in what is probably an attempt to extort money.

“In one of the messages to the actor, Pradhan mentioned he is associated with underworld don Chhota Rajan. He said he had trained a 15-year-old boy to handle weapons and bombs and this teenager would come to the actor’s home to collect money,” said a BKC Cyber police officer.

The actor approached the BKC Cyber police station, and the officers managed to trace and arrest Pradhan on Wednesday. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime, the police said.

Pradhan, who hails from Chhattisgarh, came to Mumbai five years ago. He claimed he suffers from an illness and wanted to make quick money, the police said. “He got the idea from stories of extortions in newspapers,” said Nandkishior More, assistant police commissioner, cyber cell.

“Pradhan got the number of the actor’s manager from a film directory. He had worked in a mobile shop and knew how to get a SIM card on other people’s documents,” said Sunil Ghosalkar, senior inspector, BKC Cyber police.

“We have seized the mobile phone and the directory he used,” said Ghosalkar, adding Pradhan has been remanded in police custody till December 5.