Salman Khan firing case: Why Bhuj is a gangster haven

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi lodged in Tihar jail. File pic

The remote and underdeveloped area of Bhuj in Gujarat bordering Pakistan has become a convenient hideout for the shooters of a jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose henchmen fired at Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence in Bandra earlier this month. The shooters of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala were also nabbed in Bhuj city in the westernmost district in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Sources have told mid-day that the henchmen of the gangster get arms and ammunition from the neighbouring country through drones. "Drug traffickers as well as human trafficking gangs are active in Bhuj city," said a source.

Salman at his farmhouse. File pic

After firing indiscriminately at Galaxy Apartment in Bandra, Bishnoi's motorcycle-borne shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, abandoned their bike and reached the westernmost district in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, where they had been waiting for the next instruction from jailed gangster Lawrence's brother, Anmol Bishnoi, to cross the border illegally. According to sources, the Crime Branch is probing whether Anmol was in touch with local human traffickers who could have facilitated Gupta and Pal to illegally cross the border to reach a haven in Pakistan.

The cops along with divers looking for the gun in Tapi River

After firing five bullets in the wee hours in Bandra on April 14, the shooters, Sagar and Vicky, reached Gandhidham on April 15 afternoon, and later they headed to Nakhatrana, said a source from Kutchh police, who added, "The duo had street food in Nakhatrana, purchased some clothes, and reached Bhuj on the night of April 15." A senior officer in Mumbai Police told mid-day, "After the firing incident, the shooter duo had been instructed to reach Bhuj by road and wait for the next instruction from Anmol. We are probing if Anmol had any plans to send them off to Pakistan illegally and was in touch with any human trafficking network."

The bike abandoned by the accused

"Both these accused told us during interrogation that they were just following the instructions and did not know where they had to head next after reaching Bhuj. So, it will be cleared only when we arrest Anmol," said the officer, requesting anonymity. Both the shooters were armed with two deadly foreign-made weapons and extra magazines. Anmol had instructed both of them to stop their motorcycle and empty all the cartridges from both the deadly weapons, "But Gupta became nervous after reaching Galaxy Apartment and did not stop the motorcycle to fire bullets," said a source from the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police.

Mumbai police and other security agencies at Salman Khan's residence in Bandra on April 14

"Gupta's pillion rider, Pal, fired five rounds while the motorcycle was in motion. One of his live bullets accidentally fell to the ground," said the source. In a 2021 murder case, Pune police arrested Santosh Jadhav, a member of the Bishnoi gang. His involvement later surfaced in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022. Jadhav was captured with another suspect, Navnath Suryavanshi, from Bhuj by Pune police in June 2022.

The Pune police connected Jadhav and Suryavanshi after nabbing Siddhesh Kamble, also known as Mahakal, who was accused of hiding Jadhav, wanted for a murder case in Pune district's Manchar police station. A retired IPS officer from Maharashtra police, speaking anonymously, stated that Bhuj is a haven for Bishnoi gang members, providing them with shelter and support from a local associate of the jailed gangster.

Both the accused were produced at Esplanade court. Pic/PTI

"First, we arrested Mahakal, and his interrogation led to the arrests of Jadhav and Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi, a native of Satara, has his father settled in Gujarat. The Bishnoi gang maintains a safe hideout in Bhuj city, where the mobile network is unreliable, and law enforcement agencies face difficulties in tracing an accused," said the IPS officer.

Mahakal's involvement, in this case, is significant because, following his arrest by the Pune police, a team from their Mumbai counterparts interrogated him regarding a threat letter given to Bollywood scriptwriter Salim Khan, Salman Khan's father. Sources in the Mumbai police confirmed that Mahakal was aware of the threat letter given to Khan in the Bandra Bandstand promenade.

Despite increased security in and around Galaxy Apartment in Bandra after the threat letter in June 2022, a recent shooting incident by henchmen of Bishnoi exposed the Mumbai police's failed attempts to apprehend the novice shooters, who managed to escape easily. The shooters of Lawrence are dispersed across India, said a source in Punjab police, and added, "More than 600-700 shooters are fanned in different cities across the country." The city police and the Crime Branch of Mumbai police have intensified their search operations to arrest Anmol Bishnoi.

April 15
Day accused reached Bhuj