Mumbai Police are examining an alleged extortion threat sent to filmmaker Rohit Shetty, months after shots were fired outside his Juhu residence. The latest case centres on a 90-second audio clip that reportedly demands Rs 20 crore and warns of further violence if the money is not paid.
According to media reports, members of Shetty’s staff found the audio message on Saturday morning and submitted it to the police. Investigators are now trying to verify whether the recording is genuine and whether the voice can be linked to wanted accused Shubham Lonkar, whose name has surfaced in earlier crime investigations.
Rohit Shetty extortion threat under police scanner
The audio clip is being treated as key material in the fresh probe. Reports said the message allegedly refers to the earlier firing outside Shetty’s home as only a “trailer” and claims the filmmaker could be targeted directly if the demand is ignored. Police have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the recording.
The clip has been sent for forensic analysis, which is expected to help investigators establish whether the voice belongs to Shubham Lonkar. Voice comparison, audio quality checks and possible tampering analysis are usually part of such examinations. The forensic report will be important before police move further on specific attribution.
The alleged threat has drawn attention because it comes after a violent incident outside Shetty’s residence earlier in 2026. In February, five bullets were reportedly fired near his home in Juhu, close to Hasya Kalakar Mehmood Chowk. The accused fled the location on a motorcycle after the firing, according to police accounts cited in reports.
Link to earlier Juhu firing being examined
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had allegedly claimed responsibility for the firing outside Shetty’s residence. Police later arrested alleged shooter Deepak Sharma in Agra. The case widened after investigators looked at the planning, movement of accused persons and possible instructions from handlers linked to the gang network.
In April, the Mumbai Crime Branch filed a 1,624-page charge sheet in the firing case. The document named 15 accused persons. Reports said Pravin Lonkar and Aarzo Bishnoi were declared absconders and continue to be wanted by authorities. The fresh audio clip is now being assessed against this earlier case background.
Shubham Lonkar is also wanted in connection with serious cases, including the 2024 murder of politician Baba Siddiqui and the firing outside Shetty’s residence earlier this year, as per reports. Investigators suspect the voice in the latest clip may be his, but that claim depends on forensic confirmation and further police verification.
For Mumbai Police, the immediate priority is to establish the origin of the audio message. Investigators are expected to examine how the clip reached Shetty’s staff, whether it was sent through a mobile number or internet-based platform, and whether the sender used any masking method to hide identity or location.
Why the alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang angle matters
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been under the scanner in several high-profile criminal cases, including threats and attacks linked to public figures. Any alleged communication from the gang is therefore handled with caution, especially when it involves a celebrity and follows an earlier incident of gunfire outside a residence.
Extortion threats involving public personalities are investigated not only as individual complaints but also as possible organised crime activity. Police usually examine the threat content, pattern of communication, accused network, financial demand and any connection to past offences. Security arrangements may also be reviewed depending on perceived risk.
Shetty is among Hindi cinema’s most commercially successful filmmakers, known for the Golmaal series, the Singham franchise, Simmba and Sooryavanshi. His public profile makes the case more sensitive, but police procedure still depends on evidence. At this stage, the matter remains an investigation into an alleged threat.
No official public statement from Rohit Shetty had emerged in the immediate reports on the alleged audio clip. There was also no confirmed police disclosure of the forensic findings. Until the report is completed, claims about the sender’s identity remain under examination rather than established fact.
The case also highlights the way threats against film personalities have increasingly moved beyond phone calls to digital formats such as audio clips and messaging apps. Such material can travel quickly, but proving who recorded or sent it requires technical verification. That makes forensic analysis central to the investigation.
Police are expected to proceed after receiving the forensic opinion on the recording. If the voice match and delivery trail support the initial suspicion, investigators may add further charges or connect the fresh threat to the earlier firing case. For now, the alleged Rs 20 crore demand has opened another line of inquiry in an already serious security investigation.
