Navi Mumbai police thwart plot to attack Salman Khan

The Navi Mumbai police have arrested four members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who were allegedly plotting to attack Bollywood superstar Salman Khan using weapons sourced from Pakistan.

The suspects were reportedly planning to target Khan's vehicle in Panvel, Maharshtra.

The accused have been identified as Dhananjay alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna, and Rizwan Khan alias Javed Khan.

An FIR has been filed against 17 individuals connected to the case, including names such as Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, and Goldy Brar. 

According to the police officials, the four accused planned to flee to Sri Lanka post the attack. They meticulously planned the attack after conducting a recce of  Salman Khan's residence and farmhouse.

Reportedly, accused Ajay Kashyap contacted a person named Dogar in Pakistan through a video call and ordered weapons like AK-47 from the neighboring country.

As per the information received by the police, approximately 60 to 70 associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Sampat Nehra gang, hailing from various regions such as Mumbai, Raigad, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Gujarat, were keeping an eye on Khan.

The police statement also noted that they were allegedly going to use minors for the attack. After the attack, the accused planned to escape India by boat, departing from Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari to Sri Lanka.

This comes over a month after two unidentified men fired multiple rounds outside Khan’s Galaxy Apartments in Bandra. CCTV footage from the April 14 incident captured one of the assailants shooting towards the actor's house. Anmol Bishnoi, brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the incident, leading to a series of events throughout the day.

Following the attack, two men, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were arrested in Gujarat for their suspected ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A third suspect, Anuj Thapan, who was arrested in April died on May 1 under suspicious circumstances while in police custody.