Mumbai: A contract worth Rs 25 lakh was issued for the assassination of actor Salman Khan near his Panvel farmhouse in Maharashtra, according to a chargesheet filed by Navi Mumbai Police.
The chargesheet, which names five individuals, alleges that the plan was orchestrated by the gang led by incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh was apprehended from Panipat in Haryana by a team of Panvel Town police (in Navi Mumbai) on Wednesday. He had allegedly given a contract to Bishnoi gang members to kill Khan.
Singh along with the Bishnoi gang members had planned to use weapons from Pakistan, such as AK-47s, M16s and AK92s, to execute the alleged plot to kill Salman Khan. Similar guns used in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala were to be used to execute this plan.
They also recruited minors to carry out the hit, who are currently hiding in areas like Pune, Raigad, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Gujarat.
During the investigation, it also came to light that Lawrence Bishnoi and Sampat Nehra gangs had deployed around 60 to 70 members to monitor Khan’s movements as part of efforts to conduct recce at his Bandra residence, Panvel farmhouse and film shooting locations, including Goregaon Film City.
The task was designated to shooter Dhananjay alias Ajay Kashyap alias AK, who was arrested by the police alongside four others – Gaurav Bhatia, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna, Rizwan Khan alias Javed, and Deepak Hawa Singh alias John.
A recce, by Kashyap and the group, concluded that due to Khan’s tight security and bulletproof vehicles, high-grade weapons were necessary for the operation.
Sukhbir Singh was in touch with his alleged handler Dogar, who is based in Pakistan. Singh then contacted Pakistani arms dealer Dogar via video call, showcasing AK-47s and other firearms. Dogar agreed to supply the weapons, while Singh promised to pay 50 percent of the cost upfront and the remainder upon delivery in India.
The police also uncovered that the shooters were awaiting instructions from Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol Bishnoi.
According to reports, the chargesheet also mentions a post-murder escape plan where they intended to gather in Kanyakumari after the attack and escape to Sri Lanka by boat. They would then move to a country beyond the reach of Indian authorities.
FIR over plot to kill Salman Khan
On April 24 this year, the Navi Mumbai police registered a case against 18 identified accused and others of the Bishnoi gang for hatching a conspiracy to kill Salman Khan.
The development followed a firing outside the actor’s Bandra residence in Mumbai by Bishnoi gang members.
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol, Sampat Nehra, Goldie Brar and Rohit Godhara were among the persons named as accused in the FIR.
The Navi Mumbai police had in this case initially arrested five Bishnoi gang members – Dhananjay alias Ajay Kashyap alias Nahvi, Gaurav Bhatia, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna, Rizwan Khan alias Javed, and Deepak Hawa Singh alias John.
After the arrests, police in June claimed to have uncovered a plot to target the actor on his way to his farmhouse near Panvel in Navi Mumbai.
(With inputs from PTI)
