In the early hours of Friday, September 12-13, 2025, gunshots were fired outside the family home of Bollywood actress Disha Patani in the Civil Lines area of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
The house belongs to her father, Jagdish Patani (retired police officer), her mother, and her elder sister, Khushboo Patani, who were present. Disha herself was in Mumbai at the time.
According to police, two men on a motorcycle opened fire. Reports vary between “2 shots” to about 8-10 rounds being fired. Gunshots are reported to have been fired from foreign-made weapons.
No one was injured. The local police, including the Special Operations Group (SOG), formed multiple investigation teams (five teams) for tracking down the assailants. FIR has been lodged, the Crime Branch has been involved, and CCTV footage is being examined.
Claimed Responsibility & Motive
A social media post — said to be from the gang associated with Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara — claimed responsibility, naming individuals Virendra Charan and Mahendra Saran (Delana).
The post alleges that the reason for the firing was that Disha’s sister, Khushboo, allegedly insulted two Hindu spiritual figures: Sant Premanand Maharaj and Aniruddhacharya Maharaj.
Further, the message calls this incident a “trailer” — i.e., a warning — and threatens that next time, anyone insulting saints or deities (especially in Bollywood) will face lethal consequences.
Clarifications & Disputes
- Khushboo Patani had earlier made remarks criticizing Aniruddhacharya over statements he allegedly made about women in live-in relationships and unmarried women above a certain age. She replied sharply, referring to misogynistic remarks.
- However, it is being reported that some social media users misattributed her criticism. Many seem to have thought she was speaking about Premanand Maharaj, though she has clarified that was not the case.
- Her father, Jagdish Patani, has also said that her statements were misrepresented and that her name was dragged into the matter of Premanand Ji Maharaj. He expressed concern that this could be part of a conspiracy to defame her and the family.
Security & Investigation
- Police have tightened security around the Patani home.
- The firing site has been examined, and empty cartridges have been recovered. Forensics and CCTV are under review. The action has been transferred to the Crime Branch in Bareilly.
- Jagdish Patani has described the attack as terrifying, the weaponry foreign-made. He also said that, though reports link Goldy Brar to the shooting via social media, the matter is not yet officially confirmed.
Who Is Disha Patani — Career & Public Profile
To understand why criminals would target her family, or how this might affect her or why she’s in the public eye (and hence vulnerable), it’s useful to know her background:
- Disha Patani is a well-known Bollywood actress, model, and influencer. She rose to fame with films like M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Baaghi 2, Malang, among others. She has a large social media following. Her visibility makes her influential in popular culture.
- She is from Bareilly originally; her family in Bareilly is well known — her father is retired police/law enforcement, which adds both to her visibility but also potentially to expectations of safety.
- Her sister Khushboo is also relatively public, in part because of controversies on social media, having served in the Indian Army (retired), and being active on these conversations. The Patani family has been in the media before, both for her work and personal/family controversies.
So any perception of conflict, insult, or controversy tends to be magnified given this profile.
Was This About Money / Extortion, or Ideology / Threat / Terror?
From what current reporting shows, there is no direct evidence that the attack was about extortion or a demand for money. The claimed motive in the gang’s post is ideological/religious: punishment or warning for alleged insults to saints, and a threat to the film industry.
However, some ambiguity remains, and certain questions could suggest alternative (or additional) motives:
- Ideological / Religious / Vigilante Threat: The post refers explicitly to “religion,” “our saints,” “Sanatan Dharma,” etc., and frames the firing as retaliation/protection of religious sentiments. This suggests a religious / vigilante dimension.
- Psychological / Reputation Intimidation: Even if not demanding money, the firing serves a purpose of intimidation — a warning “trailer” — which forces family (and by extension, Disha, Bollywood) to think twice before speaking out. The fear factor can coerce self-censorship without necessarily having a direct ransom.
- Criminal-prison / Gang intimidation: Given Goldy Brar / Rohit Godara are accused gangsters with histories (at least wanted status), claiming responsibility might also serve gang politics: showing reach, instilling fear, delivering “justice” as they see it to enhance their image among followers or sympathizers.
- Possibility of Misuse / False Attribution: Because much of this is based on a social media post, whose authenticity is still under police verification, there is a chance the claim is false, exaggerated, or someone else is trying to exploit the controversy for attention.
So far, no credible report says there was a demand for money. But given the history of criminal gangs, it cannot be ruled out that in some cases, such threats or acts can combine ideological claims with extortion. As of now, public record and official statements emphasize the insult/religion angle.
What Still Remains Unclear or Under Investigation
- Whether the social media post claiming responsibility is authentic. Police are verifying it.
- Exactly who fired the shots — whether Virendra Charan and Mahendra Saran (named in the post) are truly involved, or are mouthpieces.
- Whether Khushboo’s comments were indeed misrepresented, as her father claims, or whether the misattribution had spread widely enough to trigger genuine backlash.
- Whether the weapons being “foreign-made” implicate external sourcing of arms, or whether “foreign-made” is a term used loosely.
- Whether the motive is purely ideological/religious, or also tied to criminal financial gains, or political signaling.
Implications & Risks
- Public figures increasingly become targets not just for traditional crime, but for ideological/religious vigilantism, especially if they are perceived to have made remarks that offend.
- The strain between free speech/criticism of religious figures and backlash or even violence is exacerbated by social media, misattribution, rapid spread of controversy.
- Families of celebrities are at risk of being drawn into controversies and danger even when the celebrity is away.
- Law enforcement’s promptness, forensic investigation, verifying claims of responsibility, monitoring gangs’ claims, etc., become crucial both for deterrence and justice.
While the reports strongly suggest that the attack was meant as intimidation in response to alleged insults toward religious figures, rather than a pure money-extortion demand, the situation is still evolving. The threat message (“trailer,” warnings) signals that this was meant to send a message beyond just the Patani family — perhaps to the film industry, or even others who speak about religious/spiritual leaders publicly.
Until investigations (forensics, identity of shooters, authentication of the claim) yield more, one cannot definitively say it was purely ideological, purely financial, or some mix.
Disha Patani: Her Career Highlights
- Disha Patani is known for her work in major Bollywood films (e.g., M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Malang, Baaghi 2, etc.). She has been active both in mainstream cinema and in social media/influencer circles.
- Her public image is that of someone outspoken, fitness-oriented, and socially visible. Having a sister who is also quite vocal on social issues further places the family in the public debate sphere.
- Because of her celebrity, any controversy involving her (or her family) tends to be amplified by media and social attention, which can exacerbate both misunderstandings and threats.
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