Police in India have apprehended two individuals linked to a criminal group responsible for a shooting incident targeting the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
The suspects, Vicky Gupta, 24, and Sagar Kumar Palak, 21, were captured near a temple in the Kutch district of Gujarat.
Reports indicate that the attack was orchestrated by the notorious Bishnoi gang, a religious sect that considers antelopes sacred. The gang holds a grudge against Khan for his involvement in the killing of two blackbucks over 20 years ago. This recent incident is just one in a series of threats the actor has faced in recent years.
During the early hours of Sunday morning, the assailants rode up on a motorcycle and discharged five rounds at Khan’s apartment in the affluent Bandra neighborhood of Mumbai. Fortunately, Khan and his family members were unharmed.
The police have revealed that the two suspects confessed to their role in the shooting targeting Khan’s residence, known as Galaxy Apartments. The assailants were reportedly acting at the behest of Lawrence Bishnoi, a jailed gangster.
Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol, allegedly masterminded the plan to harm Khan through a Facebook post traced to Canada. Further investigations have uncovered that the attackers had been monitoring Khan’s movements for days and rented a nearby room for a month.
A multi-state police team, comprising officers from Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, collaborated to apprehend the suspects. Gupta and Palak appeared before a court in Mumbai on Tuesday, with the city’s crime branch requesting additional time to gather evidence against the perpetrators.
The suspects are in custody pending their next court appearance scheduled for 25th April. The police are committed to bringing those responsible for the attack to justice in a coordinated effort to ensure the safety of public figures like Salman Khan.
