Mumbai, 17 October, 2024: A ₹25 lakh contract was reportedly taken out to assassinate Bollywood actor Salman Khan near his Panvel farmhouse in Maharashtra, according to a chargesheet filed by the Navi Mumbai Police. The chargesheet, which named five individuals, stated that the murder plot was orchestrated by the gang led by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
According to reports, the accused were planning to acquire sophisticated weapons, including AK-47, AK-92, and M16 rifles from Pakistan, as well as the Turkish-made Zigana pistol, the same weapon used in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
The chargesheet revealed that boys under 18 were hired to carry out the assassination, and they are currently hiding in locations such as Pune, Raigad, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Gujarat.
According to the investigation, about 60 to 70 people were monitoring Salman Khan’s movements, particularly around his Bandra residence, Panvel farmhouse, and Goregaon Film City. The murder conspiracy was hatched between August 2023 and April 2024.
One of the accused, Sukkha, who was arrested in Panipat, Haryana, reportedly assigned the hit to Ajay Kashyap, also known as AK, and four others. The group determined that due to Salman Khan’s high-level security and use of bulletproof vehicles, advanced weapons would be necessary for the assassination. Sukkha reportedly contacted a Pakistan-based arms dealer named Dogar via video call, showing AK-47s and other firearms while negotiating the deal. Dogar agreed to supply the weapons, with 50% of the payment to be made in advance and the rest upon delivery in India.
The chargesheet also highlighted that the shooters were waiting for the go-ahead from Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol Bishnoi. After the assassination, the shooters planned to gather in Kanyakumari, from where they intended to flee by boat to Sri Lanka and then to a country beyond the reach of Indian law enforcement.
The plot to target Salman Khan at his farmhouse came to light during the investigation of a firing incident outside his Bandra home. In the meantime, security has been heightened around Salman Khan’s residence following the recent killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Bandra.
Lawrence Bishnoi has repeatedly threatened Salman Khan over a personal vendetta linked to the actor’s 1998 blackbuck poaching case. Bishnoi, a member of the Bishnoi community, holds blackbucks as sacred, and the community has been outraged since Khan’s conviction for the killing of the animals during the filming of Hum Saath-Saath Hain in Rajasthan.
