New developments have emerged in the Salman Khan firing case. The incident at the Bollywood superstar’s apartment in Bandra on April 14 was not intended to harm him, but merely to scare him. According to Vicky Kumar Gupta’s bail plea, filed on Monday in the special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court, the assailants aimed to threaten the actor for not apologizing after allegedly killing a blackbuck, revered by the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan.
For those unfamiliar, the shooting was reportedly orchestrated by Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang and overseen by his brother, Anmol Bishnoi. Gupta and his accomplice Sagar Kumar Pal executed the firing. On the morning of April 14, four rounds were fired outside Salman’s residence in Bandra. Lawrence Bishnoi and Anmol are among those wanted in connection with the case. Mumbai police suspect the crime was committed to strengthen the gang’s position.
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In his bail plea, filed through advocates Amit Mishra and Susheel Mishra, Vicky Kumar Gupta portrays himself as a victim of circumstances. Gupta revealed that after losing his job as a laborer in Tamil Nadu during the pandemic, he sought help from Pal, who is from his hometown. Pal then sent him to Jalandhar, Punjab, to work as a driver. However, upon arriving there, Gupta was informed that he needed to travel to Mumbai for a “religious mission.”
It was only after reaching Mumbai that Gupta was contacted by Anmol Bishnoi, who informed him of the plan to fire shots at Salman Khan’s apartment. In the bail plea, Gupta further stated that he committed the crime because Anmol Bishnoi assured him that nothing would happen to him, and his role was merely to ride the bike and transport Pal to Bandra, where Pal fired the shots at Khan’s house. Gupta also mentioned that he is the sole breadwinner for his family, which includes his elderly mother, wife, and two children. He argued that considering the prolonged duration of the trial, he should be granted bail.
Special judge BD Shelke directed the Mumbai police crime branch to respond to the bail plea and scheduled the hearing for August 13.
In the chargesheet filed by the police before the special MCOCA court, nine people, including Gupta, Pal, and Anmol Bishnoi, have been named. The arrested accused include Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohd Rafiq Choudhary, Harpal Singh, and Anujkumar Thapan. While Thapan reportedly died by suicide while in police custody, the remaining accused are currently in judicial custody.