Two men have been arrested in connection with the firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence. Before the arrest, the duo embarked on a convoluted journey from Mumbai to Bhuj in Gujarat, using various modes of public transportation and altering their routes to evade the authorities, sources told India Today TV.
The accused – Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) – both residents of Bihar, were on the run after firing five rounds outside Khan’s house at the Galaxy Apartment in Bandra and were arrested in a village in Kutch district on late Monday night.
During the initial interrogation, the duo told Mumbai Police that they dumped the two-wheeler near Mount Mary Church after the firing incident and subsequently took an autorickshaw to reach Bandra railway station, sources said.
From Bandra station, the accused boarded a Borivali-bound local train and got down at the Santacruz railway station, the second stop from Bandra.
Moving eastward from Santacruz, they proceeded on foot towards the Western Express Highway.
From Vakola, the accused left towards Surat. In Surat, they threw the pistol in a pond and then went to the railway station but did not find any train for Bhuj, sources said.
Therefore, they decided to take a bus to reach Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. From Ahmedabad, they again took a bus to reach Bhuj.
The accused were hiding at a temple in Mata No Madh village in Kutch.
ABOUT THE ACCUSED
Both Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta hail from Bihar’s Champaran. Sagar had been working in Haryana for the last two years when he reportedly came in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Vicky, who was also working in Haryana, came in contact with Sagar later.
Both the men came to Mumbai on February 28 and conducted a recce around Salman Khan’s house three times before the incident.
Thereafter, Sagar and Vicky rented a house in Panvel and submitted their original Aadhar cards for verification. They also purchased a second-hand bike, which was confiscated by police soon after the firing incident.
Firearms were delivered to the duo in Mumbai.
Sagar and Vicky were hired by the gang of Lawrence Bishnoi to open fire at Khan’s house. According to police, Sagar was the one who fired at Khan’s house, while Vicky was in touch with the gang members.
The accused were arrested after Mumbai Police discovered that their mobile phones remained active even after the incident. Mumbai Police pinpointed the location of the accused and immediately dispatched a team to Gujarat and caught hold of them.
After being arrested, the two men were brought to Mumbai on a flight on Tuesday morning and were produced before a court which remanded them in police custody till April 25.