On Friday, Mumbai police revealed that two individuals apprehended in Punjab and transferred to Mumbai’s Crime Branch custody signify a substantial development in the investigation of the shooting incident outside the residence of Bollywood icon Salman Khan.
The accused are reported to have supplied firearms to the individuals who carried out the shooting outside Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra.
Authorities from the esteemed National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated on Friday that they interrogated the gunmen, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, for an extended period.
As per the Mumbai Police, the two individuals arrived in the city on Thursday under transit remand facilitated by the Crime Branch. Significant insights were gleaned from the suspects during their interrogation. This development follows the extension of their police custody until April 29 by the Esplanade Court.
Previously, the Crime Branch asserted possessing compelling evidence implicating gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi as the masterminds behind the attack. Designated as the primary accused, the Bishnoi siblings, along with two other individuals, were formally charged in the case.
According to officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch, thorough surveillance was conducted in the vicinity of Salman Khan’s farmhouse and residence before the shooting incident. The assailants extensively monitored the property, conducting multiple rounds of surveillance, before executing their plan outside Galaxy Apartments in Bandra.
Further investigation led to the discovery of a damaged mobile phone possibly containing pertinent conversations related to the incident in possession of the accused. Moreover, a pistol, along with magazines and bullets, was recovered from the Tapi River in Surat, shedding light on the criminal’s tactics for disposing of evidence.
Social media posts, particularly a Facebook statement attributed to Anmol Bishnoi claiming responsibility for the incident, served as confirmation of the involvement of the Bishnoi brothers.
Additional charges under IPC sections 506(2), 115, and 201 have been incorporated into the legal proceedings, underscoring the gravity of the allegations against the defendants. Mumbai Crime Branch officials are intensifying their efforts to apprehend the individuals sought and gather further pertinent evidence for the ongoing investigation.
The objective of the investigation remains to unravel the intricate network behind the targeted attack on Salman Khan’s residence.
