A man from Haryana has been arrested by the Navi Mumbai police for allegedly doing a recce of actor Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Panvel in February.
The police registered an FIR on April 24, claiming a conspiracy to attack the actor at his farmhouse, marking this as the second attempt following a shooting incident outside his Bandra residence in Mumbai on April 14.
The charge sheet filed by the police mentioned that the accused was promised ₹25 lakh to carry out the attack, with plans to obtain weapons from Pakistan.
However, the plot was thwarted when senior inspector Nitin Thakare received a tip-off regarding the suspects’ activities, leading to the arrest of five individuals involved in the case, The Indian Express reported.
The arrested accused, who has been identified as Sukhbir Balbir Singh, alias Sukha was allegedly an arms supplier intending to connect with a Pakistan-based contact named Dogar for arms procurement.
Navi Mumbai police had been searching for Sukha and recently learned he was hiding at a hotel in Panipat, having altered his appearance by growing his hair and beard.
Investigations revealed that 16 to 17 individuals were implicated in the recce operation at Panvel. In June, the police arrested four accused linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, identified as Dhananjay Tapesingh (alias Ajay Kashyap), Gaurav Bhatia (alias Nahvi), Vapsi Khan (alias Waseem Chikna), and Rizwan Khan.
The Navi Mumbai police in the chargesheet against five accused said that the Bishnoi gang had placed a ₹25 lakh contract on Salman Khan’s life, intending to execute the plan either during a movie shoot or as the actor left his Panvel farmhouse.
Investigation has also revealed that approximately 16 to 17 individuals were involved in the operation, having conducted recce in Panvel in February, with some residing there since November last year.
The charge sheet detailed that the conspiracy evolved from August 2023 to April 2024, with plans to acquire sophisticated weapons from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkey-made Zigana pistol, which had been used in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
The gang allegedly communicated via a WhatsApp group consisting of 15-16 members including Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, Kashyap, Bhatia, Cheena, and Javed Khan.
The Navi Mumbai police identified Sukha and Dogar from Pakistan as the arms suppliers. The plan also involved heightened surveillance with about 60 to 70 individuals monitoring Khan’s movements, as mentioned in the chargesheet.
Salman Khan has been under the watch of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is believed to be involved in both the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai cases.
Bishnoi claims that his targeting of Salman Khan stems from an incident in 1998 when the actor shot dead blackbucks, which are revered by the Bishnoi community, during a film shoot in Rajasthan.
