Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, on the pretext of taking revenge on actor Salman Khan for hunting a black buck in Rajasthan in 1998, aimed to assert his dominance in Bombay in general and Bollywood in particular, by targeting the actor. This was stated in the chargesheet filed by the city crime branch which investigated the firing on his house at Band Stand, Bandra, Bombay in April. On April 14, a biker and a pillion rider fired a few rounds at Salman’s balcony.
“During our investigation, it has come to light that by firing at Salman Khan’s home, the gang wanted to show, they do not fear anyone. Their intention was not to harm him but to create a sense of fear. And by firing at Khan, they wanted to terrorise the film industry and extort money in the absence of any other gangs in the city. To establish their supremacy, they even surveyed another mega star’s residence,” said an officer.
The city crime branch’s anti-extortion cell on July 8 submitted the 1,736-page chargesheet before the MCOCA court against five members of the Bishnoi gang. Last week, the Navi Mumbai police had filed a chargesheet against five members of the gang in a separate case in the Panvel court. There is no connection between the five accused arrested by the Panvel police and the five accused arrested by the Bombay police.
The police claimed to have substantial evidence including digital, technical and circumstantial, apart from 46 witnesses. Two persons, who are connected with the case, have given confessional statements before a magistrate. The police have shown Lawrence Bishnoi, his cousin, Anmol Bishnoi, and Canada-based criminal Rohit Godara as wanted accused. The police are likely to take custody of Lawrence Bishnoi from Sabarmati Jail.