Actor Salman Khan has disclosed that he woke up to the sound of gunshots on April 14 when two bike-borne men opened fire outside his residence in Mumbai’s Bandra. According to police, the shooters were hired by Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, who had conspired to kill Mr. Khan.
On June 4, a four-member team, including an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch, visited Mr. Khan’s house to record statements from him and his brother, Arbaaz Khan. The police questioned the two brothers for a total of six hours. Salman Khan expressed his awareness of the danger to his life and thanked the police for their assistance in the investigation.
In his statement, Mr. Khan recounted that he was home on the day of the incident and had gone to bed late after a party. He was jolted awake by the sound of a bullet hitting his flat’s balcony. Upon waking, he checked the balcony but did not see anyone. Arbaaz Khan’s statement was also recorded; although he was at his Juhu residence during the firing, he was aware of previous threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to his brother.
Salman Khan was questioned for three hours, while Arbaaz Khan was questioned for two hours. In total, over 150 questions were asked of the two brothers.
Salim Khan, Salman Khan’s father, was also present at home during the firing. However, his statement has not been recorded due to his old age, although the crime branch may do so if necessary.
Following the April 14 incident, police arrested four suspects: Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal in Gujarat, and Anuj Thapan along with another individual in Punjab on April 26. In total, six arrests have been made. Notably, Anuj Thapan later died in police custody.
Police have revealed that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had allegedly conspired to ambush Salman Khan’s car in Maharashtra’s Panvel, armed with weapons sourced from a Pakistani arms supplier. Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, along with his Canada-based cousin Anmol Bishnoi and associate Goldie Brar, reportedly acquired AK-47s, M-16s, and other high-calibre weapons from a Pakistani dealer. The plan was to either attack Mr. Khan’s vehicle or at his farmhouse in Panvel.
