9 charge-sheeted; wanted to create terror in Bollywood, say cops

MUMBAI: The Mumbai crime branch on Monday filed a 1,735-page charge-sheet against six arrested and three wanted accused -- gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol and their close associate Rohit Godara -- in connection with the April 14 firing at the Bandra residence of actor Salman Khan. The charge-sheet filed in special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court stated that Bishnoi wanted to create terror in Bollywood and within Mumbai’s business community to extort money.

The police have cited 46 witnesses against the six arrested and three wanted accused. They have recorded statements of two accused who have given confessional statements before the MCOCA court.

In their charge-sheet, the crime branch has claimed that two pistols which were used in the firing were recovered from Tapi river near Surat and bullets found near the actor’s house matched in the forensic examination with the recovered pistols, which made it evident that the pistols were used in the firing.

The Anti-Extortion Cell of the crime branch, which probed the case, recorded the statements of the actor and his brother Arbaz Khan on June 4. At the time Salman had expressed concern over the incident, emphasising that it posed a significant threat to him and his family members and should not be underestimated.

So far, the police have arrested six accused in the firing case. On May 14, the police arrested the sixth suspect, Harpal Singh, also known as Harry, aged 25, from Haryana. He was involved in financing the shooters. The other individuals arrested include Mohammed Rafiq Sardar Choudhari, as well as two shooters, Vicky Kumar Gupta, 25, and Sagar Kumar Pal, 24. Anuj Thapan, 32, died by suicide while in the custody of Crime Branch on May 1. Additionally, Sonu Subhashchandra Bishnoi, 37, was arrested from Punjab.

According to police reports, on March 15, Thapan and Sonu Bishnoi met Gupta and Pal in Panvel and gave them two pistols and 38 live rounds, which were used to fire at the actor’s apartment.

Choudhari, according to the police, had been in contact with Rohit Godara, a trusted associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, and had recorded a video of Salman’s house on April 12. The crime branch has confiscated Choudhari’s mobile phone and, with the assistance of technical experts, recovered numerous deleted videos and photos. Upon further questioning, Choudhari admitted to receiving ₹3 lakh in cash from a member of the Bishnoi gang. He then distributed ₹2 lakh to two shooters, Vicky Kumar Gupta, and Sagar Kumar Pal.