Bollywood actor Salman Khan told the police that he believed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's men targeted his Mumbai residence in April intending to kill him and his family. Salman Khan's statement is part of the charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in connection with the incident.
The Bollywood star told the police that he heard a firecracker-like sound while being asleep at his residence in Galaxy Apartments in the early hours of April 14. His police bodyguard told him around 4.55 am that two people on motorbike had fired at the first-floor balcony, he said. He later learnt that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi had claimed responsibility for the attack in a Facebook post, the statement said.
According to news agency PTI, Salman Khan said that attempts to hurt him and his family had happened earlier as well, adding that his bodyguard lodged a complaint regarding the firing at Bandra police station.
"...I believe that Lawrence Bishnoi, with the help of his gang members, carried out the firing incident when my family members were sleeping and (they were) planning to kill me and my family members," PTI quoted Khan's statement as saying.
He and his family had received several other threats in recent years, the actor told police. In 2022, a threat letter was found on a bench opposite his building, while in March 2023, they received an email threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he said.
Two unidentified persons tried to trespass into his farmhouse near Panvel using fake identities in January 2024, the actor noted. P
The police filed the 1,735-page charge sheet in the firing case before the special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act cases earlier this month. The court recently took cognizance of the charge sheet, saying that prima facie there was enough material to proceed against the six arrested accused.
Those arrested in the case were Vickykumar Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Anujkumar Thapan (now deceased), Mohd Rafiq Choudhary and Harpal Singh. Thapan allegedly committed suicide in police custody after his arrest. The other five are now in judicial custody.