Mumbai: In the case of firing at actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra West, the firearm was delivered to the arrested accused Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal nearly 20-25 days ago in Panvel by two other men, search for whom is actively underway. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police’s special cell and the crime branch tracking the gang activities of the infamous Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate have revealed a new modus operandi. Officials said that the gang preys on unsuspecting labourers with the promise of lucrative payouts in return for executing the orders given by members sitting in the US, Dubai or Canada.
In Salman’s case, Gupta and Pal hail from Mahsi village in Bihar’s West Champaran district and had gone to Punjab where they were doing labour work. Pal’s brother, who is the latest to have been detained by the Mumbai police, urged them to work for the gang. The brother himself was earlier enticed by the Bishnoi gang with promises of a better life. Subsequently, he began undertaking small tasks such as passing messages for the gang. He delegated the responsibility of carrying out the firing outside the actor’s residence to Sagar Pal. Gupta and Pal were given Rs1 lakh and the firearm to execute the crime. Pal, who was already fascinated with gangster life, practiced shooting in his village for the task.
The entire operation functioned smoothly, with no communication between different parts of the syndicate, sources said. The handler, operating from abroad using international members, coordinated with various gang members, including recruiters, logistics providers, and shooters. The syndicate frequently changed phones, SIM cards, and locations to evade law enforcement. Before the incident, Gupta and Pal stayed in Panvel for 21 days and someone transferred Rs50,000 to them in cash, which is being probed by the police. With inputs from agencies
