Gangsters fire at Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Mumbai home

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Two unidentified men on a motorbike opened fire outside the home of Indian filmstar Salman Khan in Mumbai on Sunday, police said.

The men, captured on CCTV, are suspected to be from Gurugram in the northern state of Haryana and belong to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, sources in the Mumbai police told Indian media.

They reportedly shot a bullet towards Khan’s first-floor apartment which hit a wall next to the front balcony and fired a few bullets in the air. The police found five bullet shells and a live round at the site, and a forensic analysis determined that the suspects used a 7.62-caliber weapon.

One of the suspects has been identified as a man named Vishal, who was arrested in 2020 for a bike theft and sent to Tihar jail in India’s capital Delhi.

Vishal, who is also wanted in connection with the March murder of a businessman in Gurugram, works for Bishnoi gang member Rohit Godara.

Godara himself is wanted for the May 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and is suspected of currently operating from Canada.

The police have identified Vishal’s accomplice as well but have not named him yet, the Indian Express reported.

Khan, who is guarded by armed policemen, was home with his family when the gunshots were fired. No one was hurt.

The police patrol vehicle which was supposed to be stationed outside Khan’s Galaxy Apartments was not present at the time of the shooting. The vehicle had been moved to a luxury hotel to be part of the security detail for cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League, police sources told Hindustan Times.

The CCTV footage showed the men firing towards Khan’s house in Galaxy Apartments in Bandra area. Police have said the men conducted a reconnaissance mission in the area before the attack, and are currently on the run after leaving the city. The police recovered their getaway vehicle, a motorbike, likely stolen, a little over a kilometre from Khan’s residence.

After the incident Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi took to Facebook to claim responsibility for the attack, which he described as a “preview”. He warned the actor not to test him.

“This is the first and last warning. After this, the firing will happen at your home,” the post added.

Police have said they are investigating the post, which has now been removed.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde contacted the actor and assured him of support and police security.

Khan received at least two threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in the past after the actor was accused in 1998 of killing a blackbuck in Rajasthan. Blackbuck is considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.

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