Rajasthan Man Arrested for Threatening Salman Khan in YouTube Video

Tikam Shekhawat

Mumbai, 17 June 2024: The Mumbai police’s Crime Branch has apprehended Banwarilal Laturlal Gujar, a 25-year-old from Rajasthan, for allegedly issuing threats to Bollywood actor Salman Khan via a YouTube video on the channel ‘Are Chhodo Yaar’. Gujar was brought to Mumbai and produced before a city court on Sunday, where he was remanded to police custody until June 18.

Details of the Incident: The arrest followed a complaint after a viewer reported a video on the ‘Aare Chhodo Yaar’ channel. In the video, a person speaking in Hindi claimed connections with gang members GoldyBrar, Vivek Bhaiya, Rohit, and Jitin, and issued threats to Salman Khan. The video included statements such as:

• “Ram Ram mere sabhi Bhaiyo (Ram Ram all my brothers)… Brothers, we are all brothers now, Goldy is my brother, Nitin, Vivek, Rohit, and Jitin, they all are here and there are many more brothers.”

• “Our intention was clear, what we want and it was shared but he is not listening. His ego gets hurt. He has an attitude and he has an ego. He considers himself Dabangg King Khan.”

• “We will not tell him what is Khan and who is a fanatic Hindutva… We are searching for actor Salman Khan, and he is coming in the same line. Whether he has Y plus security or Z plus. But we have announced, meaning if we have said it, we will do it. Whoever will collide with us, we will finish them. Jai Hind Jai Bharat.”

Legal Actions: The South Cyber police registered a case under sections 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with section 66(d) (cheating by personation using computer resource) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. The case was then transferred to the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) for further investigation.

Investigation and Arrest: Utilizing technical evidence, the police tracked down Gujar’s email ID and contact number, which led them to his residence in Bundi district, Rajasthan. A police team arrested him from a hostel and informed his uncle about the arrest.

At court Crime Branch requested Gujar’s remand to scrutinize his call data records to determine his potential contacts with gang members and any affiliation with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The police aim to uncover his motive for uploading the video, investigate any involvement in the Salman Khan firing case, and examine his previous criminal record.