The Navi Mumbai Police have uncovered yet another plot to assassinate 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 Navi Mumbai Police have registered an FIR and arrested four individuals linked to this conspiracy. This follows an incident on April 14, when two bike-borne men opened fire outside Mr Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra.
According to police sources, jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, alongside his Canada-based cousin Anmol Bishnoi and associate Goldie Brar, had reportedly acquired AK-47s, M-16s, and other high-calibre weapons from a Pakistani arms dealer. The plan was to either ambush Mr Khan’s vehicle or attack his farmhouse.
After the firing incident outside Mr Khan’s Bandra residence, police arrested four suspects: Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal 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.
The circumstances of Thapan’s death have drawn significant scrutiny. The Bombay High Court has expressed frustration over the “incomplete” autopsy report presented, saying that it lacked vital details, such as a “diagram of the ligature mark” found on Thapan’s neck and information on any other potential injuries.
Thapan’s mother, Rita Devi, filed a petition on May 3, alleging that her son was physically assaulted and tortured in police custody, leading to his death on May 1 in a Mumbai crime branch lock-up. While the police maintain that Thapan died by suicide, Ms Devi’s petition calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.
