Man who threatened actor Salman Khan apologises, claims message was sent by 'mistake'

Security was beefed up outside actor Salman Khan`s house following repeated threats to him. File pic

While investigating the recent threats made to superstar Salman Khan through a message sent on the traffic police's WhatsApp number, the Mumbai Police received another message from the same sender, apologising for the incident. Police sources revealed that the individual claimed that the threat message was sent by mistake and expressed regret for the incident. The police traced the sender's location to Jharkhand, and a team has been dispatched to apprehend him.

Sources also stated that the individual initially identified himself as a close associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and claimed he could mediate a truce between Khan and the gangster. An officer disclosed that in the threat message sent to the Mumbai Traffic Police's WhatsApp number, the sender had demanded Rs 5 crore to settle the long-standing feud between Khan and Bishnoi.

The sender asserted that he could broker peace between the two and demanded money for his efforts, warning that if the amount was not paid, Khan's fate would be worse than that of former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead on October 12, purportedly by Bishnoi's gang members. The message sent to the traffic police warned, "Don't take this lightly. If Salman Khan wants to stay alive and end his enmity with Lawrence Bishnoi, he must pay Rs 5 crore. If the money isn't paid, Salman's fate will be worse than Baba Siddique's."

Mumbai Police have taken the threat seriously and launched a thorough investigation to establish the identity of the WhatsApp user. The security of the actor was also upgraded, police sources said.

Last week, the Panvel City Police had arrested a sixth accused in connection with the assassination plot against Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The accused, identified as Sukhbinder alias Sukha, was arrested from Panipat, Haryana. In June, the Panvel City Police had filed a charge sheet against five other accused in the case.

According to the charge sheet, the gang had closely monitored Khan's movements, from his Bandra residence to his Panvel farmhouse and the Film City in Mumbai, planning to kill him in a manner similar to the assassination of singer Sidhu Moose Wala. They intended to use weapons such as AK-47, M16, and AK-92, which were supposed to be supplied from Pakistan by a member of the Bishnoi gang.

Salman Khan assassination plot: Man nabbed from Haryana last week

According to sources, the Panvel City Police have named at least 18 accused in the case and have arrested six so far.

Officers stated that Sukha is a known member of the Bishnoi gang and had been on the Navi Mumbai Police's radar.

According to the Navi Mumbai Police, the shooters were offered a contract of Rs 25 lakh to kill Salman Khan. The planning took place between August 2023 and April 2024 before the Panvel City Police made the first arrest in the case, led by Inspector Anjum Bagwan. The Panvel City Police filed charge sheets against five accused: Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahayi alias Sandeep Bishnoi, Vaspi Mehmood Khan alias Waseem Chikna, Dhananjay Singh alias Ajay Kashyap, Zishaan Zakrul Hasan alias Javed Khan, and Deepak Hawa Singh Gogaliya alias John Walmiki. The police have named 18 accused in the first information report (FIR), including Bishnoi and Goldy Brar.

As per the charge sheet, the plan was orchestrated by Bishnoi, his brother Anmol, Brar, and a Pakistani individual, identified as Dogar. The accused formed a WhatsApp group to coordinate the attack, with Dogar providing weapons from Pakistan. Around 60-70 people were involved in the conspiracy, conducting surveillance on Salman Khan's locations, including his home and film sets. The information was received by investigating officer PI Nitin Thackeray on November 26, 2023. The officials acted on this information and made the first arrest, of Kashyap, on April 28 this year.

The charge sheet further revealed that during the investigation, officials discovered a WhatsApp video where the accused, Kashyap, was on a call with a wanted individual named Dogar in Pakistan. In the video, Dogar was displaying high-tech weapons intended to be transported to India to kill Salman Khan. "Dogar said that we could purchase these high-tech weapons, but the amount needed to be transferred to our boss Goldy Brar's account in Canada. Once this was done, the weapons could be transported from Pakistan," the police noted in the charge sheet.

The charge sheet also states that once the weapons were transported to India, various shooters were stationed in Pune, Raigad, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Gujarat on the orders of Goldy Brar. "The shooters awaited orders from Brar and Anmol Bishnoi to kill Salman Khan. For the shootings, they assigned people who were below 18 years of age. Additionally, the members assigned one person, named John, to provide a vehicle for the shooters to carry out the assassination," the charge sheet read.