Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol, and associate Ravtaram Swami have been named as wanted accused in the case. According to police, two bike-borne men — Gupta and Pal — allegedly opened fire outside Galaxy Apartment, Khan’s residence in Bandra, in the early hours of April 14, 2024
The charge order states that the alleged shooters fired at actor Salman Khan's residence with the intention to kill him. File pic
A special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai has framed charges against five accused, including the two alleged shooters, in the 2024 firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence, news agency PTI reported. The framing of charges marks the formal commencement of the trial.
Special Judge Mahesh Jadhav framed charges against Vickykumar Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Rafiq Sardar Choudhari, and Harpal Singh after they pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol, and associate Ravtaram Swami have been named as wanted accused in the case.
According to police, two bike-borne men — Gupta and Pal — allegedly opened fire outside Galaxy Apartment, Khan’s residence in Bandra, in the early hours of April 14, 2024. The duo was arrested soon after, along with Sonukumar Bishnoi, Choudhari, and Singh, who are all currently in judicial custody.
Another accused, Anujkumar Thapan, who had also been arrested, allegedly died by suicide while in police custody.
The charge order states that the arrested accused, along with the absconding individuals, were part of a criminal conspiracy and acted as members of an organised crime syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi, as defined under MCOCA, PTI reported.
They allegedly shared a common intent to carry out an illegal act — attempting to murder the victim using firearms — and aimed to create fear among Mumbai residents to establish the syndicate’s supremacy, the order said.
According to the charges, Singh relayed information gathered by Choudhari, who conducted a recce of Khan’s residence, to the wanted accused. The order further states that Lawrence Bishnoi supplied weapons and ammunition to Gupta and Pal, who then fired at the actor’s residence with the intention to kill him, PTI reported.
Each accused is alleged to have committed offences under Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions related to criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder, as well as relevant sections of MCOCA, and will now face trial.
Lawrence Bishnoi is currently lodged in an Ahmedabad jail, while his brother Anmol was recently deported from the United States (US) and is in the National Investigative Agency’s (NIA’s) custody in connection with another case.
(With PTI inputs)
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