New Delhi: A leased flat in Panvel, a second-hand motorcycle and a suspected recce on the day of Eid. Investigators are connecting the dots that led to the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai this week, ThePrint has learnt.
On Tuesday, Mumbai Police said it had taken custody of the two bike-borne men who fired five rounds outside the actor’s residence in the early hours of 14 April. The duo were traced to and subsequently apprehended in Gujarat’s Bhuj the previous night.
CCTV footage from the incident in question shows two bike-borne men wearing helmets and carrying backpacks stopping outside the Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra, which houses actor Salman Khan’s family home, between 4:50 am and 5 am Sunday morning. Hours after the incident, a Facebook post purportedly by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol surfaced in which he claimed responsibility for the attack.
The post, which said the shooting incident was merely a “trailer”, was later deleted.
Sources in Mumbai Police told ThePrint that the suspected shooters apprehended in Gujarat Monday night, Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21), have no past criminal record and met in Haryana while working as daily wage labourers.
The two had been living in a leased flat in Panvel for the past 45 days, said one source, adding that the flat had been leased out for 11 months.
“Sagar was the pillion rider and he opened fire. After the incident, both fled from the spot and disposed of the bike. They then reached Gujarat as per the plan. The pistol was handed over to them in Mumbai itself and both were in touch with the same handler,” said a senior Mumbai Police officer.
It is also learnt that the second-hand motorcycle used by the shooters was bought on 2 April. It was later recovered and its owner located using the number plate.
Police sources also told ThePrint that the shooters conducted at least three recces before the attack, including one at the actor’s farmhouse in Panvel and another at his residence in Bandra on the day of Eid. “We suspect the accused visited Khan’s house on the day of Eid to do another recce. They must have used the huge gathering outside the actor’s house as cover,” said the Mumbai Police officer quoted earlier.
It is also learnt that the police are yet to locate the handgun used in the attack and are awaiting results of the forensic analysis of the bullet casing recovered from the actor’s Mumbai residence to determine the make and model of the said handgun.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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