Salman Khan threat letter: Lawrence Bishnoi's gang may be involved, says Maharashtra Home Department

The Maharashtra Home Department on Tuesday said that the Lawrence Bisnoi gang is may have played a part in the incident involving a threat letter being sent to Bollywood actor Salman Khan's father Salim.

"Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil met Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil in connection with the case. As per police, a recce was done before sending the threat letter and Bishnoi gang may be involved in this," the state Home Department said.

The Mumbai police have beefed up actor Salman Khan’s security following the threat letter received by his father Salim Khan on Sunday.

The police have also taken into account that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had earlier confessed to having sent his henchmen to reconnoitre the actor’s residence in a bid to kill him after he was accused in 1998 of poaching black bucks, which are regarded sacred by the Bishnoi clan.

The Bandra police had on Saturday registered an FIR of criminal intimidation against unknown persons, after Salim Khan found a letter threatening the father-son duo. The letter, written in Hindi, stated they would both soon meet the same fate as murdered singer Siddhu Moosewala.

Last year, Bishnoi, in his interrogation by the Delhi police special cell, had confessed that he had sent some people to conduct a recce of Khan’s residence and also try and kill him. He had allegedly also arranged for a gun to be sent to a shooter who was arrested. The police are now probing whether there is any actual connection between Saturday's threat letter and Bishnoi’s past attempt on Khan’s life.