A death threat against Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has been traced to a phone believed to belong to a Raipur-based lawyer, Mumbai police said on Thursday. Faizan Khan, however, claimed that his phone was stolen three days before the threat call was made and that he had filed a first information report (FIR) with the Raipur police regarding the device lost.

According to Mumbai Police, the threat call came through the landline of Bandra police station on Tuesday. THE the caller asked ₹50 million of the actor and warned of fatal consequences if the amount was not paid.

Subsequently, the call was traced to Raipur, leading to a team of Mumbai police going there for further investigation. Authorities are now working with Raipur police to track down the real caller while examining the circumstances surrounding the reported theft of the lawyer’s phone.

“My phone was stolen on November 2 and I filed a complaint. I spoke to the Mumbai police about it. They questioned me for about two hours,” said Faizan Khan.

Lawyer’s previous complaint against Shah Rukh

The lawyer had earlier complained to the Mumbai police against Shah Rukh Khan over a dialogue in his film Anjaam (1994) referring to deer hunting.

“I am from Rajasthan. The Bishnoi community (which comes from Rajasthan) is my friend. It is in their religion to protect the deer. So if a Muslim says something like that about the deer, it is condemnable. Therefore, I have raised an objection,” Faizan Khan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“Whoever called from my phone, it seems intentional. I think it’s a conspiracy against me,” he added.

The threat against Shah Rukh Khan comes after similar threats were made against actor Salman Khan, who has been under increased protection since March after receiving death threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The actor’s security measures have been beefed up with Y-plus security cover, including armed personnel stationed at his home 24 hours a day.

(With inputs from PTI)