Lawrence Bishnoi wanted to kill me, my family: Salman Khan to police

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has told police that he believed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang carried out the firing at his residence in Mumbai in April this year with the intention to kill him and his family members.

The actor's statement is part of the chargesheet filed by Mumbai police in a court in connection with the incident.

He heard a firecracker-like sound while being asleep at his residence in Galaxy Apartments in the early hours of April 14, Salman told police. His police bodyguard told him around 4.55 am that two people on motorbike had fired at the first-floor balcony, he said.

There had been attempts to hurt him and his family earlier, Salman said, adding that his bodyguard lodged a complaint regarding the firing at Bandra police station.

The actor learnt later that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi had confessed and taken responsibility of the attack in a Facebook post, the statement said.

Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members had talked about killing Salman and his relatives earlier too, the statement said, adding, "So, I believe that Lawrence Bishnoi, with the help of his gang members, carried out the firing incident when my family members were sleeping and (they were) planning to kill me and my family members." He and his family had received several other threats in recent years, the actor told police.

In 2022, a threat letter was found on a bench opposite his building, while in March 2023, they received an email threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he said.

Two unidentified persons tried to trespass into his farmhouse near Panvel using fake identities in January 2024, the actor noted.

Police filed the 1,735-page chargesheet in the firing case before the special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act cases earlier this month.

The court recently took cognisance of the chargesheet, saying that prima facie there was enough material to proceed against the six arrested accused.

Those arrested in the case were Vickykumar Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Anujkumar Thapan (now dead), Mohd Rafiq Choudhary and Harpal Singh.

Thapan allegedly committed suicide in police custody after his arrest. The other five are now in judicial custody.

(With agency inputs)