Salman Khan firing case: Shooters were told to pump all bullets

In the Salman Khan residence firing incident, the Mumbai Crime Branch found that the shooters were lured by fame and the prospect of being tagged Bishnoi gang members with their first target. The shooters were instructed to stop the bike in front of Salman's home and use the Bishnoi gang's pattern of shooting ie firing until the magazine is empty.

One shooter, Sagar Pal, 23, eager to join the Bishnoi gang, fired five rounds, while another shooter, Vicky Gupta, 21, was too scared to even stop the bike or remove the pistol for firing. Crime Branch sources said both shooters didn't have any criminal records, and Pal was too eager to join the Bishnoi gang, even aspiring to become a gangster.

According to Crime Branch sources, both accused are jobless and dropped out of school in Bihar. To find jobs, they reached Haryana and met a Bishnoi gang member who lured them with promises of fame and gang membership. The gang provided everything to them, including food and shelter.

The accused being brought to Esplanade court. Pic/PTI

A Crime Branch officer said, "The Bishnoi gang targeted Salman, and both shooters were hired to fire on Salman's car in Panvel." "Vicky was not prepared for this job. The instructions were allegedly given to both shooters to fire at least 10 rounds at Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment to scare him. In such instructions, shooters were informed to use the pattern of the Bishnoi gang's firing, that is to keep firing until magazines were empty," a Crime Branch officer explained.

Vicky, scared, decided to use helmets to hide his identity. However, once they reached Bandra and parked their bike 100 metres away from Salman's residence, they found that a police jeep, which usually parked outside Salman's residence, was not present. The shooters took advantage of this and decided to fire.

Pistol supplier arrested

Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 succeeded in nabbing two accused who supplied the pistol to the shooters. The accused are Sonu Subhash Chander, 37, a farmer, and Anuj Thapan, 31, a truck helper, both residents of Jalandhar, Punjab. According to police officials, both accused delivered the pistols to shooters in Panvel on March 15. The accused Anuj Thapan has been working with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang for many years and has many criminal records of extortion and supplying guns.

What cops know

The accused were produced in Killa court, and their police custody was extended until April 29. In the investigation, Senior Inspector Daya Nayak, who is leading the team of Crime Branch Unit 9, found that the shooters fired five rounds and carried a total of 40 bullets. Officers have recovered 17 bullets so far, while 18 are still missing.

In contact with Anmol Bishnoi

Officers told the court that shooters were in contact with gangster Anmol Bishnoi over an internet call using a WiFi connection from another device. In the investigation, it was found that the accused were using some applications for using internet calls. Police have recovered one mobile phone, and two are still missing. Both shooters were also in contact with individuals from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, and the police are investigating this angle to determine who is behind the incident. The accused were using three mobile phones, and they destroyed two phones somewhere.

Custody extended

The shooters were produced in Killa court, and their police custody was extended till April 29. Defence lawyers Amit Mishra and Sunil Mishra requested jail custody for the accused, citing sufficient progress in the investigation. They argued that further interrogation was unnecessary as police had already recovered firearms, cartridges, mobile phones, and clothing from the accused, with data being extracted from their phones. Amit Mishra, who previously represented RFP constable Chetan Singh in a firing case, is among the defence attorneys.

40
No of bullets shooters were carrying