Firing at Salman Khan’s house: Planned by Bishnoi’s brother, executed by US-based gangster

While the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s house in Mumbai has shocked millions of his fans, Mumbai Police have so far arrested one of the alleged shooters and collected clues which indicate that the plan to eliminate the Bollywood superstar was hatched abroad.

On Sunday, two bike-borne miscreants fired four rounds outside Bandra’s Galaxy Apartments, where the actor lives, before fleeing the spot. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack. There was no official word from the police or Khan's family on whether the actor was present in the house at the time of the incident.

Police on Monday (April 15) arrested Vishal alias Kalu, one of the suspected shooters from the Bishnoi gang.

Bishnoi is currently in Tihar jail for his involvement in murder cases including that of singer Sidhu Moosewala.

‘Planned in US by Bishnoi’s brother’

Preliminary investigation revealed that the plan to attack was hatched in the US by Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi, reports quoting police said.

Following the firing at Khan’s house, Anmol took responsibility for the attack in an online post and said it was “trailer” to what comes next.

Anmol had reportedly entrusted Rohit Godara, a US-based gangster with the hit job.

Godara, who is said to have worked with the Bishnoi gang in high-profile murder cases including the Gogamedi murder case and the Raju Theth murder case, is known for his wide network of professional shooters across India

Police suspect it was Godara who helped in supplying guns to the two shooters, from one of the multiple locations where the Bishnoi gang stores its weapons across various Indian states.

Who is Vishal aka Kalu?

Godara reportedly hired Vishal, wanted for several high-profile murders planned by the former, including that of Gurugram-based businessman Sachin Munjal, for the job. Godara had taken responsibility for Munjal’s murder, allegedly committed by Vishal along with an aide in March this year.

Police said Vishal and the other suspect bought a second-hand motorcycle from Raigad district and rode all the way to Mumbai from Panvel.

According to police, 35-year-old Vishal, a resident of Gurugram’s Mahabirpura area, has been working for the Bishnoi gang since 2016. He is a school dropout who after working as a labourer for a brief time, became friends with local criminals.

In 2020, Vishal was arrested and sent to judicial custody after stealing a motorcycle from Gurugram. In 2023, three cases of theft and three cases of robbery, snatching and arms were filed against him. He joined Godara’s gang after meeting his associates in Tihar jail.

5 state police probing case, Panvel angle being investigated

The incident is being jointly probed by police from Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.

Police have also recovered the motorcycle used by the shooters and are questioning its owner.

The motorcycle, which was abandoned near Mount Mary Church, a little over a kilometre from the actor's house, was registered in the name of a man living in the Panvel area of Navi Mumbai, the official said.

The man had recently sold the two-wheeler to someone else, assistant commissioner of police Panvel Ashok Rajput told PTI.

According to officials, the suspects abandoned the vehicle near the church, walked some distance and took an auto-rickshaw to Bandra railway station. They boarded a train going towards Borivali but alighted at Santacruz railway station and walked out, they said.

The police are questioning several other persons and recording their statements, Rajput said, adding that the CCTV footage from the area is also being examined.

The police have formed more than a dozen teams to probe the incident, and some have been sent to Bihar, Rajasthan and Delhi, the official said.

"So far, we have not arrested or detained anybody in the case, but our inquiry is going on with several people," he said.

The police have registered an FIR against an “unidentified person” under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act.

Police, who are analysing why the accused bought the bike from Panvel, are trying to ascertain if there was a plan to carry out an assassination of Khan at his Panvel-based farmhouse.

More security for Salman

More personnel have been added to the security detail of Khan following the incident. Khan, whose security was upgraded to Y+ last year earlier, had two personal security officers (PSO), two commandos, two escort vehicles and 11 police officers in his detail. Now three more police personnel and one PSO have been added to the team.

Khan has been advised to stay at home unless it is important to venture out and inform Mumbai Police before leaving the house.

On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke with Khan and assured support saying the state government would not allow anybody to take the law into their hands.

Earlier threats

In March last year, an e-mail threatening Khan was received at his office following which the Mumbai police registered an FIR against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar and another person under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506-II (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).

The FIR was based on a complaint lodged with the Bandra police by one Prashant Gunjalkar, who according to cops frequently visited the Bandra-based residence of Khan and ran an artist management company.

The e-mail stated that Khan must have seen an interview given to a news channel by Lawrence Bishnoi, and if not, he should see it. Addressing Gunjalkar, it said if Khan wants to close the matter, he should talk face-to-face with "Goldy bhai", adding “there is still time but agli bar, jhatka dekhne ko milega” (you'll see something shocking next time), police earlier said.

In June 2022, an unidentified person threatened Khan via a handwritten note, they said.