MOHALI, Oct. 27 — Devotional singer Hansraj Raghuvanshi has received a death threat allegedly from one of his own followers, who posed as a close aide of gangster Goldy Brar and demanded ₹15 lakh in extortion money, police said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Rahul Kumar Nagde, a resident of Himanshumera City in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly threatened to kill Raghuvanshi and his family if the demand was not met. Police said the caller claimed that gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar would carry out the murder if the singer failed to pay.
According to officials, the threat was issued through a WhatsApp call made to the singer’s private security guard, Vijay Kataria, on September 15. During the four-minute, 25-second call, the accused allegedly used abusive language and claimed to be acting on behalf of Brar.
“The security guard handed over the audio recording to the police after verifying its contents,” an officer said. “The case came to light only recently after the recording was submitted as evidence.”
Following the complaint, Zirakpur police registered a case under Sections 351/2 (criminal intimidation and threat to reputation), 308/5 (extortion), 296 (hurting religious sentiments) and 67 (sending obscene material electronically) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The FIR mentions that Nagde first met Raghuvanshi at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain in 2021–22, where he introduced himself as a devotee. Police suspect that he later attempted to exploit the singer’s public image for personal gain.
“Teams have been dispatched to Madhya Pradesh to trace and arrest the accused,” said Satinder Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Zirakpur. “His arrest will help us determine whether he actually has any connection with gangsters Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi or was merely using their names to intimidate the victim.”
Police sources said investigators are also examining the accused’s social media activity and call records to verify his claims. Officials added that the threat appears to be part of a pattern of extortion attempts in the name of notorious gangsters, targeting public figures, businessmen and entertainers.
Meanwhile, the singer’s family has tightened security arrangements and urged fans not to fall for online impersonators claiming connections with him.
