Mumbai Police and Forensic team officials at actor Salman Khan’s residence at Bandra after two motorbike-borne unidentified persons opened fire outside his residence. (PTI)
Mumbai Police have reached out to police in Gurugram and Haryana after an official source in the Delhi Police said one of the two accused is suspected to be a criminal from Gurugram who was involved in multiple killings and robberies in Haryana
Mumbai Police have traced the IP address of the Facebook page that took responsibility for Sunday’s firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence in a bid to understand if the threat issued was legitimate or through a fake account.
Probe has now revealed that the IP address of the profile was from Canada and a Facebook page named Anmol Bishnoi had claimed responsibility for the incident in which two accused opened fire outside Galaxy Apartments early morning. Cops suspect that VPN could have been used for the Facebook post.
Hours after the firing outside Khan’s house, Anmol Bishnoi, in a purported online post, took responsibility for the incident and issued a warning to the Bollywood actor, saying it was a “trailer”, police sources said. In March last year, an e-mail threatening Khan was received at his office following which the Mumbai Police registered an FIR against Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar and another person under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506-II (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).
Top Mumbai Police sources have told News18 that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang is behind the firing and the attack was carried out by Rohit Godara, who operates Bishnoi’s gang in Rajasthan. One of the accused has been identified as Vishal aka Kalu, who works for Godara.
Police have also been able to piece together the route taken by the two accused, said to be linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The men came in from Bandra Bandstand towards Galaxy apartments, fired five rounds and then moved towards Mehboob Studios. They took a U-turn from the circle near Mehboob Studios and went towards Mount Mary Church where they left their bike and took an auto to leave from Bandra.
PROBE WIDENS
Mumbai Police have reached out to police at Gurugram and Haryana after an official source in the Delhi Police said one of the two accused is suspected to be a criminal from Gurugram who was involved in multiple killings and robberies in Haryana and is wanted in the murder of Gurugram-based businessman Sachin Munjal in March.
Mumbai Police have sought help to get background of the accused and help them trace the accused or their families.
POLITICAL WAR OF WORDS
The incident has triggered a war of words in Mumbai, with Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule blaming the ruling Mahayuti government in the state and calling it a “complete failure” of the Home Ministry.
“It’s extraordinarily unfortunate as the area where Salman Khan lives is a popular area and his family is clearly under pressure. It is obvious that the entire area where senior citizens go for a walk, the milkman, vegetable vendors come and children go to school for their early morning classes- who will take responsibility? It’s a complete failure of the Home Ministry,” Sule said, speaking to news agency ANI.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey said no one is safe in the financial city of Maharashtra. “Whether it is Salman Khan or any common man, no one is feeling safe in Mumbai and Maharashtra,” Dubey said, hitting out at the ruling Mahayuti government.
Reacting to the attacks, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Milind Deora said on X: “I’m shocked by the shootout outside @BeingSalmanKhan’s home. @MumbaiPolice is one of India’s most professional forces & I have full confidence in their thorough investigation. Parties unable to control internal gang wars should refrain from commenting on Mumbai’s law & order. Let’s not forget, #Mumbai hasn’t experienced a single terrorist attack in the last decade.”
After the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Khan and assured that the state government would not let anyone take the law into their hands.
“I spoke with the Mumbai police commissioner and actor Salman Khan and offered him our support. The firing incident is very unfortunate. I assure people that this government will not tolerate anybody trying to take the law into their hands,” the chief minister said.
