Shooters planned to assassinate Salman Khan before shooting Baba Siddique: Sources

Shooters involved in the murder of Baba Siddique had initially planned to assassinate actor Salman Khan, revealed sources. This information came to light during the interrogation of the accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, as told by sources to India Today TV.

Baba Siddique, aged 66, was fatally shot on October 12 outside the Bandra East office of his son, Zeeshan Siddique, in Mumbai. Three gunmen fired at him, hitting him twice in the chest. He was immediately taken to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

During questioning, the accused disclosed that Salman Khan was on their target list. However, they could not carry out the plan due to the actor's stringent security measures. 

Earlier, on April 14, two attackers on motorcycles fired shots outside Salman Khan's Bandra residence late at night. The shooters, identified as Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were subsequently arrested in Gujarat. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang later claimed responsibility for this attack.

Salman Khan has been the subject of repeated threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang recently. Besides the ongoing issues with Lawrence Bishnoi, there have been other instances where individuals have threatened the actor using the gangster's name.

Last month, a man claiming to be Lawrence Bishnoi's brother issued a threat to Salman Khan, demanding that the actor visit a temple to apologise for killing a blackbuck or pay a sum of Rs 5 crore. In October, a vegetable vendor from Jamshedpur was apprehended for threatening Salman Khan and demanding a Rs 5 crore ransom. Shortly after, the actor received another death threat from an unidentified individual demanding a Rs 2 crore ransom.

In response to these increasing threats, Salman Khan has been granted Y+ security, and there is a significant police presence outside his residence. Mumbai Police have also installed AI-powered, high-resolution CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition technology to bolster security measures.