- Monday, February 24, 2025
The plan was to eliminate the veteran actor while he was travelling to his farmhouse in Panvel in Maharashtra where several men had camped for days to ensure the execution.
By: Shubham Ghosh
POLICE in Navi Mumbai claim to have uncovered yet another plot to target Indian actor Salman Khan, more than a month after shots were fired outside his house in Bandra in the western city of Mumbai by some motorcycle-borne men.
It was reported that the police caught hold of four individuals last week for plotting another attack on the veteran actor while he was travelling to his farmhouse in Panvel in the western state of Maharashtra. It was also learnt that the suspects had carried out extensive reconnaissance in Panvel a few months ago.
It is believed that jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is behind the plot. He is also suspected in the shooting in Mumbai.
A senior police officer confirmed the arrests and said that the accused had been planning to target Khan for a long time and had also stayed in Panvel for a perfect execution, Business Today reported.
Read: Days after firing incident, UK MP welcomes Salman Khan in London: ‘Tiger is Alive’
On the Mumbai attack in April, the police officer said Bishnoi has many groups that work independently and they believed two separate ones were working in Panvel and Mumbai.
The arrested suspects, identified as Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Vapsi Khan alias Waseem Chikna, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahviand Rizwan Khan, were allegedly part of the coordinated efforts made by the gangster’s men.
Read: Salman Khan firing case: Accused attempts suicide in police custody, dies
Probe revealed that Kashyap was in touch with a Pakistan-based individual to acquire AK-47 rifles for carrying out the mission. The plan was also to go underground and regroup in Kanyakumari in the southern state of Tamil Nadu before leaving for Sri Lanka.
The four suspects were being interrogated to establish any connections to the Bandra incident. Six individuals were already apprehended in connection to that incident.
According to a report by The Times of India, the police were looking out for at least 15-20 other members of the gang who had camped near Khan’s farmhouse. The gang has been targeting the actor over his involvement in the killing of a black buck in the north-western state of Rajasthan during the shooting of a film.
The Bishnoi community reveres blackbucks, considering them as the reincarnations of Bhagwan Jambeshwar, their spiritual leader.
