India, April 10 -- A Varanasi-based businessman was allegedly poisoned with thallium, a rare and highly toxic substance, prompting the police to register an attempt to murder case in an incident reminiscent of the slow-poisoning plot in the recently released Hindi movie, Dhurandhar: The Revenge film.

The victim has been identified as businessman Sandeep Singh (41), a former Samajwadi Party Chhatra Sabha national general secretary, an officer said.

"A first information report (FIR) was lodged under BNS Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) at the Kotwali police station against unknown persons in Varanasi on Wednesday night based on the complaint by Khushboo Singh, wife of Sandeep Singh," Kotwali SHO Dayashankar Singh said.

The SHO ad...