GUWAHATI: A threatening message was sent to the Mumbai Traffic Police via WhatsApp, demanding ₹5 crore from Bollywood actor Salman Khan, according to media reports on October 18, citing Mumbai Police.
ALSO READ: Train Services Restored In Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section After Derailment
The threat followed an incident where three unknown assailants shot and injured Baba Siddique, a leader from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, in Mumbai’s Bandra East on Saturday evening. The sender of the message reportedly warned that if the ransom is not paid, "Salman Khan's condition will be worse than Baba Siddique."
The message reportedly added, “If Salman Khan wants to survive and end his feud with Lawrence Bishnoi, he must pay ₹5 crore. If the money isn't paid, his fate will be worse than Siddique's.” The Mumbai Police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Baba Siddique, 66, a former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader, was fatally shot on October 12 outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra. The police have arrested four individuals so far: Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) from Haryana, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19) from Uttar Pradesh—both believed to be the shooters—as well as Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23) and Pravin Lonkar, a co-conspirator from Pune.
This threat to Salman Khan came just a day after Navi Mumbai Police arrested Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in connection with an alleged plot to kill Khan. Singh was apprehended in Panipat, Haryana, and had reportedly given orders to members of the Bishnoi gang to execute the plan. Authorities revealed that Singh had been in communication with a handler based in Pakistan, identified as Dogar, and that they planned to use weapons such as AK-47s and M16s smuggled from Pakistan.
Singh is expected to be brought to Navi Mumbai for further questioning and will also be interrogated about his involvement in the murder of Baba Siddique. This case is tied to an earlier investigation from April when Navi Mumbai Police filed charges against 18 members of the Bishnoi gang for conspiring to kill Salman Khan. Following a shooting outside Khan’s Bandra residence, gang members, including Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, Goldie Brar, and Rohit Godhara, were named as accused in the plot.
During this investigation, it was uncovered that the gang had planned to target Khan during his travels to his Panvel farmhouse. Around 60 to 70 members of the Bishnoi gang had been deployed to monitor Khan’s movements at his Bandra home, farmhouse, and film locations. The group allegedly aimed to recruit minors as sharpshooters and use smuggled weapons from Pakistan to carry out the assassination attempt. Khan had earlier informed police that he believed the gang had targeted his residence with the intent to harm him and his family.
