Plot to attack Salman Khan in Panvel farmhouse? Police arrest 4 with links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi

Over a month after shots were fired outside actor Salman Khan's Bandra residence, the Navi Mumbai police claim to have uncovered another plot to target the Bollywood star.

The police have arrested four individuals last week for planning another attack on Khan while he was en route to his Panvel farmhouse. The suspects had reportedly conducted extensive reconnaissance in Panvel as early as February.

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, already suspected in the Bandra shooting, is believed to be behind both plots. The Bishnoi gang had a detailed plan to target Khan. “We have made four arrests in the case. The accused had been plotting to target the actor for a long time and had stayed in Panvel to conduct recce,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare.

Regarding the Mumbai attack, Pansare added, “Bishnoi has several groups working independently of each other, and we suspect one gang was conducting reconnaissance in Panvel while another was active in Mumbai.”

The arrested suspects, identified as Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Vapsi Khan alias Waseem Chikna, and Rizwan Khan, were allegedly part of the Bishnoi gang’s coordinated efforts. 

According to the FIR, Panvel Senior Inspector Nitin Thakre received a tip-off about the gang's presence in Panvel, leading to the arrests.

Investigations revealed that Kashyap was in contact with a Pakistan-based individual named Dogar to acquire AK-47s for the attack. The plan included the attackers going underground and regrouping in Kanyakumari before fleeing to Sri Lanka.

Authorities are currently interrogating the four suspects to establish any connections to the Bandra shooting. The Mumbai Crime Branch has already apprehended six individuals in relation to the Bandra case.