The Mumbai Police Crime Branch officials have nabbed the fifth accused in connection to the firing incident at the Bandra house of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The accused, Mohammad Rafiq Chaudhary, had also done recce outside the homes of two other actors besides Khan’s house.
According to officials, Chaudhary was in Mumbai from April 7 to April 13, and during this time, he recce Salman Khan’s house and also shot a video there, which was then sent to gangster Anmol Bisnoi. The police are also investigating Chaudhary’s role in recce outside the houses of two more actors. A police officer stated that Chaudhary had been living in Mumbai for several years, so it was certain that police could catch him, and for this reason, he had deleted the data from his mobile.
Chaudhary was presented in the court by the Crime Branch on Monday and it was told that he knows another gangster of the Bishnoi gang Rohit Godara. He met shooters – Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta – on the instructions of Anmol Bishnoi with reference from Godara. He had given money to Chaudhary, which he gave to both the shooters.
The Crime Branch is looking for another accused Ankit, who was handling this entire operation on the instructions of Anmol Bishnoi. Ankit had sent Pal and Gupta to live in Panvel in October 2023, but during that time both of them could not find a house to rent, so both of them went back. They were not told for what purpose they were sent to Mumbai.
A police officer revealed that in March, Ankit sent these two shooters back to Mumbai. Upon Ankit’s instructions, both of them rented a house with the help of an autorickshaw driver. After getting the house on rent, Ankit told them to buy a bike. When they bought the bike, they were provided with weapons and told to fire outside the Khan’s house.
Pal and Gupta were apprehensive about carrying out the order to shoot outside Khan’s house until Bishnoi reassured them that they would gain virtue by completing the task.
