LUCKNOW, Feb. 8 -- A 38-year-old former employee of a pharmaceutical warehouse allegedly tried to extort Rs.30 lakh from his ex-employer by threatening him through a letter in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The man was arrested in Lucknow, police said on Sunday, adding that the accused struggling with unpaid dues and mounting loans borrowed the idea from crime films and web series to stage the threat.

The arrest was made by Sarojini Nagar police following a complaint filed on January 30 by Gaurav Batra, owner of Karun Enterprises, a medicine warehouse located in Hindnagar, Transport Nagar.

"Batra told police that his warehouse guard had handed him an envelope containing a handwritten letter demanding Rs.30 lakh within 15 days, ...