Death threat row: Was someone watching Salim Khan's movements?

Salman Khan and his father live at Galaxy Apartments on BJ Road in Bandra West. Pics/Satej Shinde

The Bandra police have registered a case after a letter threatening to harm Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan emerged on Sunday. The letter had been kept on a bench on which Salim Khan sits after his morning walk at Bandstand. "Salim Khan and Salman Khan Bahut jald aap ka Moose Wala hoga. K.G.B.L.B," it read.

The Bandra police have registered a case after a letter threatening to harm Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan emerged on Sunday. The letter had been kept on a bench on which Salim Khan sits after his morning walk at Bandstand. "Salim Khan and Salman Khan Bahut jald aap ka Moose Wala hoga. K.G.B.L.B," it read.

Bandra's Galaxy Apartments, that is home to actor Salman Khan and his father

Complainant Salim Khan, 86, who has written screenplays for several Bollywood films, told the police that someone had left the letter for him, raising concerns that his movement was being watched.

Salim Khan lives at Galaxy Apartments on B J Road, Bandstand, Bandra West with his wife Salma Khan. Salman Khan also lives in the same building. Every day, Salim Khan goes for his morning walk to the Bandra promenade with his bodyguards.

Benches on the promenade, on one of which the note was left, according to Salim Khan

Police officers said Salim Khan sits on a particular bench after his walk and exercises. "Around 7.40 am on Sunday, Salim Khan was with his bodyguards Shrikant Tukaram Hegiste and Rajkumar Durgaprasad Gupta. Hegiste found a folded piece of paper on the bench and handed it over to Salim Khan. When Salim Khan opened it, he found it to be a threat letter in Hindi," he said. The officer said, "The letter read ‘Salim Khan and Salman Khan Bahut jald aap ka Moose Wala honga, K.G.B.L.B'. In this letter, there was a threat to kill actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan."

Salim Khan asked his bodyguards to alert officer Somnath Pawar of Bandra police station. He handed over the letter to the police.

The Bandra Crime Branch Unit-9 has also launched an investigation, said sources.

The Crime Branch suspects a link between this letter and the gang that shot dead Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, widely known by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in Delhi's Tihar jail, and Canada-based singer-gangster Goldy Brar have claimed responsibility for the killing as per the Punjab police.

A Crime Branch officer said, "We suspect that the accused recced the area over the past few days as the person knew where Salim Khan sits at Bandstand after completing his daily exercise. We are checking CCTV footage from all possible angles in the area. At this stage, we can't say if the accused is connected with the same gang that killed singer Sidhu Moose Wala but we are probing in that direction." Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29, days after the state government downgraded his security cover. His body had 19 bullets.