The Mumbai Crime Branch has detained two people for reportedly firing outside superstar Salman Khan’s home in Bandra West on April 14. Mumbai police reported that the accused were detained in Gujarat’s Bhuj area on Tuesday.
The accused are Vikas (Vicky Gupta) and Sagar Pal, both 24 and 22 years old. Both of the suspects are from Champaran, Bihar.
Both suspects, who fled Mumbai following the shooting, were caught in Gujarat’s Bhuj city and will be brought to Mumbai for further investigation. Maximum police custody will be sought following their court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
The police seized foreign firearms, live cartridges, mobile phones, and cash from the shooters. During interrogation, they admitted to shooting bullets outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy residence.
Two unidentified assailants opened fire in front of Salman Khan’s Galaxy apartment in Bandra around 5 a.m. on Sunday. They fired four to five bullets to create fear in the area before retreating to the Mehboob studio.
After asking a rickshaw driver for instructions to Vasai, they abandoned their bike at Mount Mary and went in a rickshaw, eventually arriving at Bandra railway station and continuing to Navi Mumbai via Santacruz and Vakola.
देखिए फिल्म अभिनेता सलमान खान के मुंबई घर के बाहर गोलियां चलाने वाले आरोपी हुए गिरफ्तार आरोपियों का नाम विक्की गुप्ता और सूरज पाल यह दोनों ही बिहार के हैं रहने वाले@BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/EfeChGzoRQ
— Lavely Bakshi (@lavelybakshi) April 16, 2024
The Mumbai police, in conjunction with the Bandra Police, Crime Branch, and ATS, have initiated a thorough inquiry. The seized bike belonged to a Panvel homeowner, who sold it to the shooters.
During their month-long stay in Panvel, the gunmen rented a residence, forcing authorities to examine both the owner and the bike seller.
The inquiry revealed that they had conducted surveillance on Salman Khan’s farm and Galaxy Apartment, noting Salman’s activities and security information in order to avoid police detection.
Due to heavy security, they were unable to directly target Salman, so they fired near his residence early in the morning to create fear. In addition, the IP address associated with a post claiming responsibility for the shooting was tracked back to Portugal, accusing Anmol Bishnoi.
A special police operation resulted in the arrest of the fugitives in Bhuj, Gujarat. They confessed to the shooting during interrogation and were later transported back to Mumbai for additional questioning. The authorities confiscated the gun and other incriminating evidence.
As the inquiry progresses, more details are expected to emerge. According to a source, Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and Special Police Commissioner Deven Bharti will hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to present updates on the investigation.
