Mumbai: A court on Tuesday remanded a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, arrested in connection with firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence last month, to the custody of Mumbai Police till May 22.
Arrest Of The Accused
The accused, identified as Harpal Singh (34), a resident of Fatehabad in Haryana, was arrested by the Mumbai police Crime Branch from his hometown on Monday evening, an official said.
After being brought to Mumbai, Singh was produced before a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court. The police sought his remand for 14 days on the grounds that the probe was at an initial stage and a thorough investigation was needed to ascertain the role of the accused in the case. His name came to light during the interrogation of an accused arrested earlier in the case, the prosecution said.
In the court proceeding held in-camera, special judge B D Shelke remanded Singh to police custody till May 22. Singh is the sixth accused to be arrested in connection with the firing incident. Two motorcycle-borne persons opened fire outside Khan’s residence at the Galaxy Apartment in Bandra on April 14 and fled the spot.
Singh’s name surfaced during the interrogation of accused Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary, another Bishnoi gang member who was arrested earlier this month in the firing case, a police official said.
Singh had asked Chowdhary to conduct a recce around Khan’s residence and also gave ₹2-3 lakh to him, the police said.
About Bishnoi Brothers
Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Sabarmati central prison in Ahmedabad, and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in the US or Canada, have been named in the firing case.
The alleged shooters, Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, both hailing from Bihar, were arrested from Gujarat within 48 hours of the April 14 firing incident.
The Crime Branch is currently searching for Ankit, another suspect allegedly coordinating the operation at the behest of Anmol Bishnoi. Sonu Bishnoi and Anuj Thapan, who allegedly delivered weapons to the shooters, were nabbed later from Punjab. Thapan allegedly hanged himself in a police lock-up here on May 1.
