West Bengal: Jhalmuri vendor, who treated PM Modi with local snack, receiving death threats from Pakistan, Bangladesh

The Jhalmuri vendor, who treated Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the popular local snack in Jhargram during the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, has received death threats from unknown international numbers.

The shopkeeper, named Vikram Sao, has claimed to receiving threatening calls from Pakistan and Bangladesh on a daily basis over the past few days, IANS reported.

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Sao came into spotlight when Prime Minister Modi took a brief halt at his shop during the high-voltage campaign, to get a taste of the local Bengali snack.

Soon after, videos of the light-hearted exchange between the jhalmuri vendor and PM Modi became the talk of the town, grabbing national headlines, making him a ‘star jhalmuri vendor’ in the region.

However, the overnight fame has now come to haunt him. Sao is worried about himself and his family members.

“I am getting repeated threat calls from Pakistan via video and phone calls. They are threatening to blow me up with bombs… Those making video calls to me are making frightening gestures to frighten me and also brandishing weapons, and they warned me that you will face dire consequences,” IANS quoted Vikram Sao as saying.

He said that his phone did not stop ringing even after he avoided picking up several calls.

“There are threatening calls from Bangladesh, who are trying to terrorise me. They ask me, Are you alive or dead? I have also received WhatsApp messages, asking that you will be killed in a bomb explosion,” he said.

He said that the callers issuing threats to him did not speak anything about his ‘connect’ with Prime Minister Modi, but the threatening calls started only after PM Modi visited his shop.

Notably, police have launched a probe after Vikram Rao raised the matter. He has been provided with security cover, with policemen guarding him.