How police caught the man who opened fire outside Salman Khan’s home

After the shooting, police recovered a live ammunition at the scene.

Mumbai:

The original Aadhaar card submitted by two suspects in connection with the shooting incident at actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence contained rental agreement and bike purchase documents, an official said on Tuesday. Help the police identify them.

After identifying them, police used human and technical intelligence to track them down.

A joint team of Kutch-West and Mumbai police nabbed Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) from Mata No Madh village in Gujarat late on Monday night, less than 48 hours after one of them opened fire at Khan’s house.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Inspector General of Police Kutch West Mahendra Bagadiya said, “Preliminary investigation revealed that Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta Vicky Gupta were all hired by Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang to shoot at Khan’s home.”

A Mumbai Police official said the men were originally from Champaran in Bihar and went to Mumbai Central Station on February 28.

He said they rented a house near Panvel city in Raigad, about 13 kilometers from Salman Khan’s farmhouse. However, it is unclear whether they conducted a survey of the farmhouse.

He also said that they used the original Aadhaar card to sign the rental agreement.

“It was agreed with the owner that the one-time deposit was fixed at Rs 10,000 and the monthly rent was Rs 3,500,” he said.

After spending a few days in Panvel, the two went to Champaran on March 18 to attend the Holi celebrations. They returned on April 1, he said.

On April 2, Vicky Gupta purchased a second-hand motorcycle for Rs 24,000 from a two-wheeler dealer in Navi Mumbai.

A few days later, the operator brought them a pistol for shooting in Mumbai, the official said.

After the shooting in the early morning of April 14, the police found a live ammunition at the scene.

“Considering the material of the round, police suspect that a high-quality weapon was used,” he said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Pal, who was sitting on the back of a motorcycle, opened fire while Gupta remained in contact with gang members while riding his bike.

After the firing, they abandoned their bikes near Mount Mary Church in Bandra and headed to the local railway station where they boarded a Borivali-bound local train, the official said.

“They alighted at Santacruz railway station and hired a car from Vakola area to Surat. From Surat, they took a state-run bus to Bhuj,” he said.

They threw the firearms used in the crime into the river on their way to Surat.

“Police are trying to identify the persons who provided logistical support and funds for the duo’s stay in Panvel, as well as purchase of bikes and other expenses,” the official said.

Talking about how the breakthrough was achieved, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam said, “With the help of human and technical intelligence, the crime branch team received information that the accused was in Gujarat , two teams were subsequently sent to Gujarat to “catch them”.

He said it was possible the defendant was armed.

“As our officials are not aware of the topography of Bhuj, the Inspector General of Police of Bhuj was informed about the condition of the accused,” he said.

A team from the Bhuj Crime Branch met the Mumbai Police officials about 60 kilometers from Bhuj.

“After traveling for about 40 kilometers, the two accused were caught by the police. They were taken to Mumbai this morning,” Lakhmi Gautam said.

Another official said the police first traced the original owner of the motorcycle to Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.

The official said the owners took them to the agency, which produced the documents submitted when purchasing the bikes.

Based on the documents, which included a rental agreement, police contacted the homeowner. The Aadhaar card revealed the identities of the two, he added.

Meanwhile, Lachmi Gautam said there was good coordination between the sister agencies, with Mumbai Police and Gujarat Police claiming responsibility for the arrest separately.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)