Gangster's Claim On Karan Johar As Extortion Target "May Just Be A Brag": Police Sources

Siddhesh Kamble alias Mahakal, a gangster allegedly involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, "appears to be sharing hearsay" when making claims that filmmaker Karan Johar was among extortion targets, sources in the police told NDTV. 

Mahakal is alleged to be a member of Lawrence Bishnoi's gang and an associate of Santosh Jadhav, one of the suspected shooters in Moosewala's May 29 murder in Punjab's Mansa district.

He is in the custody of Pune police for an earlier case. Police from Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai have questioned him in connection with the murder and a threat letter received by actor Salman Khan earlier this month.

According to some media reports, Mahakal told the police that his gang planned to extort Rs 5 crore from Karan Johar. But sources in the police have now said that his claims hold no water. 

"He has said that five or six years ago he was told by gang members that they planned to extort money from prominent film personalities, including Karan Johar," a source in the police in Maharashtra said, "But, in all these years, there has been no complaint of any such extortion threat. He appears to be sharing what he heard all those years ago. There is nothing in it beyond hearsay."        

A senior official of the Pune rural police had earlier told PTI, "We are still verifying his claim about Karan Johar being a target for extortion. With some accused, there is an element of bragging in their confessions." 

The officer further said that the motive motive behind bragging is to gain publicity and get bigger extortion amounts. "This phenomenon is common in Punjab and other neighbouring states. They (gangsters) want their names to get associated with high-profile cases."