The plan aimed to strike at Salman Khan's vehicle in Panvel or target his secluded farmhouse.
AK-47 and M-16 rifles from Pakistan, minor sharpshooters and an escape plan to Sri Lanka - the police have uncovered chilling details of an assassination plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had allegedly conspired to strike Mr Khan's car in Maharashtra's Panvel, armed with weapons sourced from a Pakistani arms supplier.
The intricate plan, allegedly hatched by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, involved a sophisticated network of operatives and a cache of high-powered weapons. According to Navi Mumbai police sources, the gang enlisted the help of 60 to 70 individuals, each assigned specific roles in the execution of the diabolical plot.
Central to the scheme was the use of minors as shooters. The plan aimed to strike at Mr Khan's vehicle in Panvel or target his secluded farmhouse.
Among those arrested in connection with this are Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Vapsi Khan alias Waseem Chikna, and Rizwan Khan, each believed to have played a key role in the plot. Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently in jail, his cousin Anmol Bishnoi, and associate Goldie Brar, allegedly facilitated the acquisition of the deadly weapons from the Pakistani dealer known only as Dogar.
Kashyap, a key member of the Bishnoi gang, lived in Navi Mumbai's Kalamboli. He was in touch with a person identified as Sukha Shooter, who has Bishnoi's photo as his profile picture. Kashyap and his cohorts held clandestine meetings in strategic locations such as the Panvel bus stand and railway station, plotting to execute their plans, including reconnaissance of Salman Khan's properties.
Their footprint extends across multiple states and borders, with Kashyap's trail leading to illegal arms depots in Kashmir, Ganganagar, and even the Pakistan border.
Conversations between Kashyap and Bishnoi revealed frequent discussions among the associates about the exchange of weapons and coordination via WhatsApp calls.
Additionally, after assassinating Mr Khan, Bishnoi and Goldie Brar planned to pay a substantial sum of money to the hitmen, with the funds transferred from Canada.
The gang was prepared to use modern weapons such as AK-47s, M16s, and AK-92s to carry out the assassination. Similar weapons were used in the murder of the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. The gang members were shown weapons like AK-47s and ammunition through WhatsApp video calls.
Following the execution of the attack, the attackers were instructed to flee to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, where they would be ferried by sea to Sri Lanka. From there, arrangements were in place for their safe passage to another country, facilitated by Anmol Bishnoi, based in Canada.
Further investigations uncovered the gang's collaboration with other criminal outfits, notably with the organisation formerly led by gangster Anand Pal, now overseen by his daughter Chinu.
On April 14, when two bike-borne men opened fire outside Mr Khan's residence in Mumbai's Bandra. After the incident, police arrested four suspects: Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, who were apprehended in Gujarat, while Anuj Thapan and another individual were detained in Punjab on April 26. In total, six arrests have been made, although Anuj Thapan died in police custody.