Lawrence Bishnoi gang member who gave contract to kill Salman Khan arrested

The accused, Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh, along with gang members, had planned to execute Bollywood actor Salman Khan's assassination using weapons from Pakistan

In the investigation linked to the alleged plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan, the Navi Mumbai police have arrested a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The suspect, identified as Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh, was apprehended in Panipat, Haryana, officials said on Thursday.

He had allegedly given a contract to Bishnoi gang members to kill Khan. According to the police, the accused was in touch with a Pakistan-based handler. Singh, along with gang members, had planned to execute Khan’s assassination using weapons from Pakistan.

The police will also interrogate Singh in connection with politician Baba Siddique’s murder, which took place last week. Siddique succumbed to bullet injuries after being targeted by three shooters in Bandra East, Mumbai, on Saturday. The Mumbai police have confirmed the involvement of the Bishnoi gang in the incident.

Why was Baba Siddique targeted?

The former Maharashtra minister was reportedly targeted due to his close association with Khan. Punjab-based gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in an Ahmedabad jail, had threatened Khan in 2018 over his Blackbuck shooting case. The animal is considered sacred in the Bishnoi community, which is based in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Rajasthan.

The probe into an alleged plot to kill Khan first began after a case was registered following a firing incident outside his Bandra residence in April. At least 18 persons, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar, were named in the first information report.

After Siddique was killed outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Mumbai, a member of the gang named Shubbu alias Shubham Lonkar purportedly claimed responsibility for the incident. The police have arrested two of the three shooters. Lonkar remains at large, but his elder brother Pravin has been arrested from Pune.

Security has been beefed up outside the actor’s home, and he has been asked to limit visitors following the incident.

(With PTI inputs)