Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi issued a Rs 25 lakh contract to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan, a Maharashtra Police charge sheet says. According to a police official, the accused had planned to attack the star during a film shoot.
The gang was allegedly trying to acquire advanced weapons from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkish-made Zigana pistol, according to an NDTV report. The Zigana pistol was also used allegedly by the Bishnoi gang in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022.
The Panvel Town police in Navi Mumbai submitted the 350-page chargesheet before a magistrate court on June 21 against five arrested accused — Dhananjay Tapsing alias Ajay Kashyap (28), Gautam Bhatia (29), Vaspi Mehmood Khan alias China (36), Rizwan Hussain alias Javed Khan (25), and Deepak Hawasing alias John (30).
The Bishnoi gang tried to kill Salman Khan with a modus operandi similar to the one used in the Moose Wala case, according to the charge sheet.
Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, and Goldy Brar have been shown as wanted accused in the case, the police official said.
The attack was allegedly planned to be carried out during a film shoot or while the actor was leaving his Panvel farmhouse, the official said.
The charge sheet mentions the detailed plot, attack, and escape route. It contains an analysis of the intelligence gathered, mobile phone records of the accused, their WhatsApp chats, audio and video calls, and tower locations, he said.
On April 14, two men on motorbikes fired multiple rounds outside Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra, leading to the arrest of several individuals.
The day after, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde met with the actor and assured 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,” the CM told reporters.
The police official said in April, the Panvel Town cops unearthed an alleged plot of the Bishnoi gang members to kill the actor.
The plot was uncovered during their investigation disclosing a video call conversation between Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Ajay Kashyap and another accused.
As per the conversation, sharpshooters, trained in modern weapons, were stationed across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Raigad, and Gujarat under the orders of Goldy Brar.
Accordingly, sharpshooters Anmol Bishnoi and Rohit Godara were said to have been instructed by Brar to carry out the attack, utilising minors under 18 years old for the task, officials said last month quoting the First Information Report (FIR).
A man named John was allegedly tasked with providing the vehicle for the operation, as per the FIR.
After the attack, gang members were to regroup at Kanyakumari and then proceed to Sri Lanka via sea route. From there, arrangements were made to send them to other countries, with gangster Anmol Bishnoi, based in Canada, arranging their travel, officials added.
According to police, the Lawrence Bishnoi and Sampat Nehra gangs had deployed 60 to 70 members to monitor Salman Khan’s movements as part of efforts to conduct recce at his Bandra residence, Panvel farmhouse, and film shooting locations.
Following specific information about the plot to kill Khan, a case was registered against 17 identified accused and others at Panvel Town police station on April 24.
Police discovered a video call between accused Ajay Kashyap and a Pakistan-based individual named Dogar. The call was initiated by Kashyap in the presence of a member, who later became an informer to the police, as per the FIR.
Kashyap allegedly discussed procuring weapons, including AK-47s, from Pakistan after depositing half the amount in gangster Goldy Brar’s account. The remaining sum could be paid after the weapons were delivered.
During the video call, Dogar showed four to five weapons, including AK-47s and others, to Kashyap, the charge sheet added.
(With PTI inputs)
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