A man from Haryana has been arrested by Navi Mumbai police for allegedly conducting a reconnaissance of Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Panvel farmhouse in February.
The arrest comes as part of an ongoing investigation into a conspiracy to attack the actor, following an earlier shooting incident outside his Bandra residence in Mumbai on April 14.
The police registered an FIR on April 24, revealing plans to target Khan at his farmhouse, marking this as the second attempt on his life. According to the charge sheet, the accused was promised 2.5 million INR to carry out the attack, with plans to source weapons from Pakistan.
The plot was foiled when senior inspector Nitin Thakare received a tip-off about the suspects' activities, leading to the arrest of five individuals. Among them was Sukhbir Balbir Singh, also known as Sukha, who allegedly supplied arms and was planning to connect with a Pakistan-based contact, identified as Dogar, to obtain the necessary weapons.
Navi Mumbai police had been searching for Sukha and recently tracked him down to a hotel in Panipat, where he had altered his appearance by growing out his hair and beard. The investigation uncovered that 16 to 17 people were involved in the reconnaissance operation at Panvel.
In June, the police arrested four other individuals linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi: Dhananjay Tapesingh (alias Ajay Kashyap), Gaurav Bhatia (alias Nahvi), Vapsi Khan (alias Waseem Chikna), and Rizwan Khan.
The charge sheet filed by the police revealed that the Bishnoi gang had placed a 2.5 million INR contract on Salman Khan’s life, with plans to carry out the attack during a movie shoot or as Khan was leaving his Panvel farmhouse.
The conspiracy reportedly evolved between August 2023 and April 2024, with plans to acquire sophisticated weapons from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkey-made Zigana pistol, the same model used in the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Police investigations revealed that the gang communicated via a WhatsApp group consisting of 15-16 members, including Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol Bishnoi, and other key operatives like Goldy Brar, Kashyap, Bhatia, Cheena, and Javed Khan.
Sukha and Dogar from Pakistan were identified as the main arms suppliers. As part of their plan, the gang deployed between 60 to 70 operatives to monitor Salman Khan's movements.
The investigation has further revealed that the ongoing threat against Salman Khan stems from Lawrence Bishnoi’s long-standing grudge related to Khan's involvement in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, an incident that angered the Bishnoi community, which reveres the blackbuck.
