NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD/MUMBAI, APRIL 16
The Mumbai Police have arrested two persons allegedly involved in the firing incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan from Gujarat, early on Tuesday, official sources said.
#WATCH | Gujarat: AR Zankant, Kachchh DSP says "Mumbai Police was investigating the case of firing outside the residence of actor Salman Khan. Mumbai Police informed the Kachchh Police that the two accused had reached Kachchh. Different teams were formed to catch the accused.… pic.twitter.com/5TP75cniSG
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2024
The duo – tracked and caught within 48 hours – is being brought to Mumbai later on Tuesday and shall be produced before a court for remand.
They were traced to a location in Bhuj, Gujarat, where they had fled after firing at least four bullets at Salman Khan’s home in Galaxy Apartments in Bandra West around 5 a.m. on April 14.
The accused, identified as Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) from Bihar, were presented before the court after a medical examination.
The two men, who came on a motorbike, fired four rounds outside the Galaxy Apartments, where the actor resides, around 5 am on Sunday morning and fled. CCTV footage showed that both accused sported caps and carried backpacks.
The clip also showed them firing in the direction of the actor’s home. After the arrest of the accused, Kutch DSP AR Zankant said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“Mumbai Police is investigating the case of firing outside the residence of actor Salman Khan. We informed the Kutch Police that the two accused had fled to the Gujarat district. Different teams were formed to catch the accused. They were eventually arrested by the Kutch Police and handed over to the Mumbai Police. During primary interrogation of the accused, we learned that they were in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” DSP Zankant said.
Earlier on Monday, the Navi Mumbai Police had detained two persons connected with the motorbike bearing a Raigad registration number used by the shooters.
The motorcycle, with a Raigad registration number plate as seen in the CCTV footage, is being probed to ascertain whether it was sold by someone, missing or stolen.
The police, which had formed 15 probe teams, are also checking if there could be any threats to the shootout in Raigad, where the Khan family has a sprawling farmhouse in Panvel.
Hours after the Sunday shooting, Anmol Bishnoi – the brother of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi – had claimed responsibility for the attack in a chilling social media post.
He termed the firing incident as the ‘first and last warning’ for Salman Khan and ominously decreed that the next time “the bullets won’t be fired at walls or an empty home”, indicating the actor would be directly targeted for a hit.
“Salman Khan, this is just to show you a trailer, to make you understand our power and not to test our patience further… This is the first and final warning to you,” said the rattling post.
For the past several years, Salman Khan and his family have been facing death threats from certain Punjab-based mafia groups like the Bishnoi gang after the 1998 blackbuck poaching incident in Rajasthan.
During the past two years, the actor and his father Salim Khan have been issued death threats in different ways, including dropping a letter to the family.
“We will uproot all gangs and goons”: CM Shinde after meeting Salman post firing outside his residence
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met superstar Salman Khan at the latter’s Bandra residence on Tuesday. The meeting came close on the heels of the firing incident outside the actor’s upscale Galaxy Apartments, last Sunday.
During the visit, CM Shinde assured Salman and his family members of tight security cover in light of the firing incident.
“I met Salman Khan and assured him that the government is with him. I have also directed the police to take immediate action in the matter. The two accused persons in the matter have been arrested and are being questioned for leads,” CM Shinde told media persons after meeting the superstar.
Vowing to wipe out the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which is alleged to have had a hand in the incident, the ruling Shiv Sena supremo brought up the crackdown on the underworld, saying, “There are gangs left in Maharashtra anymore. We will uproot all the gangs and goons. Goons will not be allowed to run their writ here. The arrested accused are being interrogated…no one will be spared. I have also directed the commissioner of police to provide additional security for Salman Khan and his family. It is our duty to take care of our people. I don’t want to comment on what happened during the previous government, but we will act decisively against all the gangs and goons who try to bring harm to anyone in the state,” CM Shinde added.
Veteran screenwriter and Salman’s father, Salim Khan, former MLA Baba Siddiqui, his son and MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui and Yuva Sena’s Rahul Kanal were also present during the meeting. In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Sunday, last week, CM Shinde spoke to Salman over the phone and provided him with additional security cover.
Shinde also brought up the firing incident with the Mumbai Police Commissioner and suggested increasing the superstar’s security.
He assured Salman that the government was with him and he need not worry.
