The investigation into the foiled assassination plot against Bollywood actor Salman Khan has revealed that the suspects planned to execute the attack during Eid celebrations at his Panvel farmhouse.
However, this year’s Eid celebration at the farmhouse was canceled due to Khan’s brother Arbaaz’s recent marriage. Instead, the family celebrated at Sohail Khan’s house in Mumbai.
Mumbai police sources stated that Khan often celebrates Eid at his Panvel farmhouse with his family, including his father Salim Khan. The police suspect that the arrested shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, intended to take advantage of this tradition. The accused also rented a house in Harigram village in Panvel, approximately 7 kilometers from Khan’s farmhouse.
The Mumbai police discovered that the shooters conducted reconnaissance outside the farmhouse multiple times on a bike they purchased locally. An investigating officer said, “We suspect that both shooters planned to fire at Salman during the Eid occasion because he often celebrates Eid at his Panvel house with his family. Panvel was an afterthought for the firing because the farmhouse is located near a forest area. However, this year, Salman canceled the Eid party celebration at his farmhouse.”
“On April 10, Salman was in Mumbai at his Galaxy Apartment with his entire family. Both shooters, Gupta and Pal, were also surveilling Salman’s residence area on the same day. We suspect that the shooters planned to fire on Eid, but due to the large crowd outside his apartment, they postponed the plan. During recent investigations, the cops found that their bike was parked near Salman’s residence for two days. The shooters were seen roaming near his residence,” a police officer said.
A police source, speaking anonymously, said, “Salman’s brother, Arbaaz Khan, married makeup artist Sshura Khan on December 24 last year. This was the first Eid for the couple, and their celebration was arranged at other brother Sohail’s residence, where many celebrities were invited. Due to this reason, the farmhouse plan for celebrating Eid was canceled.”
“We also suspect that the shooters were receiving all such information from the Bishnoi gang members and they were in regular touch with them. The Crime Branch is tracing the locations of the callers,” a Crime Branch officer revealed.
The shooters attempted to dispose of the gun by throwing it into the Tapi River in Gujarat near Surat. The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 sought assistance from divers, fishermen, and locals to locate the weapon, but it remains unrecovered.
An officer stated, “The gun used in the firing at Salman Khan’s Bandra residence was of good quality. The bullet used was a 7.62 mm bullet.”
The suspects informed the officers that they traveled to Surat and proceeded to the railway station. They walked along the railway track to reach the Ashwini Kumar railway bridge, where they discarded the gun into the Tapi River approximately 50-100 meters from the bridge. They then escaped to Kutch Bhuj in Gujarat on a government bus.
