Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi personally spoke to the two shooters hours before they fired multiple shots outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's Bandra residence in April this year. The shooters -- Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal -- who are currently in judicial custody -- spoke to Lawrence Bishnoi via the Signal app, according to the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch unit, accessed by India Today TV.
Vicky and Sagar fired five rounds outside Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandra in the early hours of April 14. A total of six people have been arrested in the case.
Hours before the shooting, Anmol Bishnoi arranged for Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta to speak with his brother Lawrence Bishnoi to "motivate" them, the chargesheet reveals. During the call, Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Sabarmati Central Prison in Ahmedabad, encouraged the shooters and said, "Your work will be good, don't worry, and get ready for the firing."
Anmol Bishnoi also encouraged the shooters through a recorded message, telling them that their actions would benefit society and make it better, the chargesheet stated.
Vicky Gupta, during his confession given to the police, revealed that Sagar Pal was so motivated for the task that he was prepared to "shoot anyone who obstructed" their mission.
Both Vicky and Sagar are from the same village, and during the lockdown in 2020, Vicky would go out to meet Sagar while craving cigarettes, the chargesheet said. By Diwali 2022, their interactions became regular, and Sagar revealed his connections with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang through a friend named Ankit.
Sagar, who worked in a spare parts company in Jalandhar, had helped Vicky financially in early 2023 when he was jobless. Seeking a driver's job in July 2023, Vicky visited Sagar in Jalandhar and was introduced to Ankit.
Vicky then traveled to Chennai before returning to his village. A month later, Sagar called him back to Jalandhar, saying he had found work for him.
Upon reaching Jalandhar, Sagar told Vicky that he was in contact with Anmol Bishnoi via Signal and that there was a job for them. Sagar disclosed the plan to target Salman Khan, stating that Anmol wanted the actor to be scared.
In October 2023, Anmol sent Sagar and Vicky to Ambala to collect money for the job, after which they traveled to Mumbai to find rented accommodation in Panvel. Failing to secure a place, they returned but were later sent back in March 2024 with the assistance of others to carry out the attack.
Earlier this month, Salman Khan told police that he believed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang carried out the firing at his residence in April this year to kill him and his family members. The actor's statement was part of the charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in a Mumbai court in connection with the incident.
"So, I believe that Lawrence Bishnoi, with the help of his gang members, carried out the firing incident when my family members were sleeping and (they were) planning to kill me and my family members," the police statement quoted Salman Khan as saying.
Those arrested in the case were Vickykumar Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Anujkumar Thapan (now dead), Mohd Rafiq Choudhary, and Harpal Singh. Thapan allegedly committed suicide in police custody after his arrest. The other five are now in judicial custody.
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