In a recent development, Navi Mumbai police apprehended an individual from Haryana suspected of involvement in a plot to harm actor Salman Khan. This arrest brings the total number of detainees in the investigation to five, as per an official statement. The suspect is purportedly affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar gangs. Previously, the Panvel police had detained four individuals following a tip-off in September-October of last year regarding a conspiracy against the actor.
As per an official notification, Deepak Hawasingh Gogalia, also known as Jonny Walmiki (30), was apprehended on Saturday in Bhiwani, Haryana. The report suggests that Gogalia facilitated accommodations for the other suspects and provided logistical and vehicular assistance. It further indicates that Gogalia communicated with the co-defendants through video calls.
The statement mentions that his arrest followed a request for assistance from Bhiwani SP Varun Singhala by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 11), Panvel, Vivek Pansare, along with a Crime Branch team from Navi Mumbai heading to the northern state. Gogalia was presented before a magistrate in Bhiwani on Sunday, who granted Navi Mumbai police transit remand until June 5, as stated in the report, and he was subsequently transferred to Panvel. DCP Pansare informed reporters on Saturday that senior inspector Nitin Thackeray from Panvel police station received intelligence about a plot against the actor in September-October of last year.
According to the DCP, their investigation unveiled that four gang members had targeted Salman Khan’s farmland in Panvel, areas surrounding his residence in Bandra, Mumbai, and filming locations he frequented. In April, a complaint was lodged against 17 individuals, including Lawrence Bishnoi and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, he revealed. Dhananjay Tapesingh, also known as Ajay Kashyap (28), was apprehended in Panvel on April 28, while Gaurav Bhatia, alias Sandeep Bishnoi, was apprehended in Gujarat on the same day, according to an official statement on Saturday.
Vaspi Khan, also known as Waseem Chikna, was arrested in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while Rizwan Khan, aka Javed Khan, was detained in Bangalore. They have been charged under sections 120-B (conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Pansare informed reporters. The shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, have been detained in Gujarat. Their accomplices, Sonu Bishnoi and Anuj Thapan, who allegedly supplied firearms to the shooters, were apprehended later in Punjab. Thapan purportedly died by suicide in police custody on May 1.