Another suspect involved in the Salman Khan firing case was detained from Haryana Wednesday night. As per police sources, this individual served as a liaison between the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and the shooters - Vicky Gupta, 24, and Sagar Kumar Palak, 21 - who are in police custody.
On Sunday at 4:55 am, two men on a motorcycle fired five rounds outside Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai's Bandra, where the actor resides, and fled from the spot.
Sagar Kumar Palak, one of the two suspects, was allegedly provided with a gun just hours before the incident, sourced from the Bandra area on the night of April 13. However, the identity of the person supplying the weapon remains unknown, police said. Both the accused are from West Champaran in Bihar and were arrested by Mumbai Police from the premises of a temple in Gujarat's Kutch district late Monday night.
According to police sources, both Palak and his accomplice Vicky Gupta were allegedly offered Rs 4 lakh to carry out the shooting, with an initial payment of Rs 1 lakh provided upfront. The intended objective, as stated by Mumbai Crime Branch officials, was not to murder Mr Khan but to scare him.
"The accused conducted a 'recce' of Salman Khan's farmhouse in Panvel. They intended to just scare him, not murder him. The statements of both families have been recorded in Bihar. Around 7 people have been called from Haryana and other states for questioning, which is ongoing," a Mumbai Crime Branch official said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
The Mumbai police have initiated proceedings to issue a Lookout Circular (LOC) against Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of Lawrence Bishnoi. Anmol maintained communication with the suspects through various calling and messaging applications, including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Additionally, he provided directives to the man detained from Haryana.
The suspects involved in the shooting incident purchased multiple SIM cards and frequently changed them across different locations.
The Mumbai Crime Branch is also set to record Mr Khan's statement as a witness in the case.
Yesterday afternoon, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met with the actor and assured him all help.
"The government is with you, I have told Salman Khan. Both the accused have been arrested. They will be interrogated. We will get to the root of the case. Nobody will be spared. Nobody should targeted this way," Eknath Shinde told reporters outside the actor's home.
"No gang or gang war will be allowed. We won't allow this to happen. We will finish (Lawrence) Bishnoi," he added.
Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said that Mr Khan topped the list of 10 main targets that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi planned to eliminate, citing the actor's infamous 1998 black buck hunting incident, which according to the gangster, offended the Bishnoi community.
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