Threat to Salim Khan: Bandra police detain biker, term incident a ‘prank’ | Mumbai news
Mumbai: The Bandra police have detained a motorcyclist for allegedly threatening Salim Khan, father of actor Salman Khan and renowned scriptwriter, by invoking the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. However, authorities suspect the incident may have been a prank.
According to police reports, on Wednesday morning, whilst Salim Khan was seated at the promenade on Carter Road, a man on a scooter, accompanied by a woman passenger, halted near him. The rider reportedly said in a menacing tone, “Lawrence Bishnoi ko bheju kya?” (Shall I send Lawrence Bishnoi?) before hastily departing.
Khan later recounted to the police that he had been resting on a bench near Windmere Building when the incident occurred. He noted that the woman passenger was clad in a burka, concealing her face.
The scriptwriter promptly alerted the authorities, leading to a case being registered against the scooter rider. A police officer from Bandra station stated, “Khan was able to discern only four digits of the number plate—7444—which enabled us to identify and apprehend the man.”
The Bandra police have charged the man and woman under sections 353(2) (inciting enmity between different groups), 292 (public nuisance), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Sanjay Marathe, senior police inspector of Bandra police station, commented, “We are tracing the couple through CCTV recordings, although we presume it was mischief.”
This incident follows a series of security concerns for the Khan family. Two days prior, police arrested a motorcyclist for reckless driving after attempting to infiltrate Salman Khan’s convoy. Additionally, the actor’s father had previously received a threatening note at Bandstand.
These events unfold against a backdrop of heightened security measures for the actor and his family, following a shooting incident outside their residence. In the early hours of 14 April, two assailants on a motorcycle fired five or six rounds at the actor’s house before fleeing the city. The Khan family was present at their Galaxy Apartment residence in Bandra West during the attack.
In a 1,735-page charge sheet filed before the special MCOCA court, police have named nine individuals, including Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Anmol, believed to be in Canada, claimed responsibility for the attack via a Facebook post. The charge sheet alleges that he instructed Vicky Gupta to fire shots outside the actor’s residence to intimidate Khan.
Other arrested individuals include Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohd Rafiq Choudhary, and Harpal Singh. Anujkumar Thapan, another suspect, died by suicide while in police custody. The remaining accused are currently in judicial custody.
The police have booked the suspects under various sections, with charges amounting to ₹50,000 for causing public nuisance and common intention.
