Accused wanted to attack Salman during film shoot: police to court

Binodon Desk:

The accused involved in the alleged conspiracy to kill Bollywood superstar Salman Khan had planned to attack him during a movie shoot, a police official said today, citing the charge sheet filed in the case in a court in Mumbai.

During the investigation into the case, it came to light that Rs. 25 lakh “supari” (contract) was given by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to his gang members to attack the actor, he said.

The Panvel Town police in Navi Mumbai submitted the 350-page charge sheet before a magistrate court on 21 June 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), he said.

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, and Goldy Brar have been shown as wanted accused in the case, the official said.

The attack was allegedly planned to be carried out during a movie 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.

In April, the Panvel Town police unearthed an alleged plot by the Bishnoi gang members to kill Salman, the official said.

The plot was uncovered during their investigation after 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, utilizing minors under 18 years old for the task, officials said last month, quoting the First Information Report (FIR).

After the attack, gang members were to regroup at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu before travelling to Sri Lanka using the 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, Lawrence Bishnoi and Sampat Nehra gangs had deployed 60 to 70 members to monitor Salman Khan’s movements as part of efforts to conduct reconnaissance 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 24 April.