The investigation into the shooting incident outside Salman Khan's Mumbai residence has taken a significant turn, with Mumbai Police uncovering a plot orchestrated by gangsters based in the United States, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, allegedly claimed responsibility for the shooting in a Facebook post. However, investigators believe that the post's Canadian IP address was a deliberate diversion, and the actual location of the orchestrators is California, USA, facilitated by the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Anmol Bishnoi, wanted in connection with multiple criminal cases including the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala, has a history of evading law enforcement, including fleeing on a forged passport. Another gangster based in the US is also under scrutiny in connection with the case.
According to sources, Anmol Bishnoi allegedly tasked gangster Rohit Godara, currently residing in the US, with recruiting shooters for the operation. Investigators suspect that the shooting was meticulously planned over a month.
Godara, known to be a close associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, reportedly has a network of professional shooters across several Indian states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab. He is believed to have facilitated similar high-profile killings in the past, arranging weapons and orchestrating the logistics.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang is said to maintain hidden weapon caches at various locations, allowing easy access for shooters during operations. Godara is suspected of supplying the firearms used in the shooting at Salman Khan's residence through this network.
The involvement of a transnational criminal organization has led to the escalation of the case, with Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducting a parallel investigation alongside Mumbai Police. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also expressed interest in the case, indicating the possibility of the premier anti-terror agency taking over the probe.
