Mobster threat to Bollywood star

Indian police in Mumbai have given a leading Bollywood film star security after two men were arrested as they allegedly prepared to fire shots at his home, newspapers reported on Friday. Mumbai police crime branch head Himanshu Roy said that underworld figure Ravi Pujari had ordered the men to open fire at the residence and leave a threatening note for the celebrity. The officer did not identify the alleged target and said only that the incident took place in the western suburbs, which is home to a number of actors, producers and directors working in the Hindi-language cinema industry. "The celebrity earlier did not complain about any threat from anybody," he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. "But now he has been provided security." Two 9mm pistols, nine cartridges and three mobile phones were recovered from the scene on Wednesday night, he added. The pair, aged 25 and 32, are currently in police custody. Ravi Pujari is a former petty criminal-turned-gangster who was close to mafia don Chhota Rajan, whom police say ordered the murder of a prominent Mumbai crime reporter last month. Police said Pujari had earlier made threatening calls to top directors Yash Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt and Ravi Kapoor while in 2006, five members of his gang were arrested for opening fire inside Bhatt's Mumbai office. Bollywood, which is based in Mumbai, was riven with underworld links in the 1980s and 1990s. But a police crackdown on gangland activity, plus the easing of investment rules and an upbeat assessment of the industry's prospects, have brought more mainstream financiers and corporate firms into the market.