Salman Khan house firing: Bishnoi’s grand plan to extort actor uncovered

In a 1,736-page charge sheet filed by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch, related to the firing incident outside Salman Khan's residence in April by the Bishnoi gang, it has been revealed that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi aimed to establish supremacy in Maharashtra after his success in northwestern India. Bishnoi targeted Salman to extort money and instil fear, intending to extend his extortion racket further. The charge sheet includes strong digital evidence proving Bishnoi's involvement, such as a Facebook post shared from Portugal and a five-minute recording of a conversation between Anmol Bishnoi and the arrested accused, which matched Anmol Bishnoi's voice samples during forensic analysis.

The charge sheet includes statements from Salman Khan and his brother Arbaaz. Salman Khan stated that despite doing nothing wrong, he and his family were being targeted and suffering. He believes Bishnoi is trying to extort money from him and has recounted several incidents where he received threats from the Bishnoi gang in the past few years.

Actor Salman Khan

In his statement, Salman expressed that his family lives in fear due to continuous threats from the Bishnoi gang. Despite having done nothing to provoke these threats, he believes they are intended to extort money from him. He detailed several incidents over the past few years, including threats received via email, messages, notes left outside his residence, and a shooting incident at his house.

Arbaaz also provided a statement on how the family lives in fear due to the threats against his brother. The detailed charge sheet filed by the Crime Branch relies on strong digital and forensic evidence, including a Facebook post by Lawrence Bishnoi claiming responsibility for the shooting incident. According to the charge sheet, the post was made from Portugal by Anmol Bishnoi on Lawrence's instructions. This post was also found on the cell phone of the arrested accused Vicky Gupta. Additionally, the Crime Branch discovered 3-5 minute recordings on Gupta's phone, where he is heard talking to Anmol Bishnoi and planning the shooting outside the Khans' residence.

"There is very strong evidence establishing the conspiracy by the Bishnoi gang to create fear in the minds of the actor and the people of Mumbai to bolster his extortion syndicate in Maharashtra," said an officer privy to the investigation.

According to the AEC, the charge sheet includes details about Bishnoi and references from other cases filed against him by various agencies. There are approximately 50-60 cases against him, including charges of murder, attempted murder, extortion, firing, and drug smuggling. "We have submitted a comprehensive charge sheet before the special court, and further investigation in the matter is ongoing," said Lakhmi Gautam, joint commissioner of crime for the Mumbai police.

The charge sheet was submitted before the special MCOCA court on Monday, and the court has taken cognisance of it. It includes the statements of 46 witnesses, including two confessional statements from the accused. The charge sheet is filed against six individuals who were arrested during the investigation, including Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, who fired outside Salman's Galaxy apartment on April 14. Other accused are Anuj Thapan and Sonu Kumar Bishnoi, who supplied the weapons. Thapan died by suicide during the investigation while in Crime Branch custody. Additional accused include Mohammad Rafiq Chaudhary and Haripal alias Hari, who conducted reconnaissance and provided monetary support to the others.

The charge sheet also names three wanted individuals: Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat; his brother Anmol Bishnoi; and Rohit Godra, who are suspected to be in the USA and Canada, moving from one country to another using different passports to evade law enforcement.

The charge sheet has been filed under several sections of the IPC, MCOCA, and relevant sections of the Arms Act, including new sections amended in 2023 that address organised crime and impose severe punishments. The case is being investigated by ACP Dattatray Nale and Senior PI Sudhir Jadhav of the AEC.