5th accused in Salman Khan house firing case arrested

The Mumbai crime branch has arrested a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang from Rajasthan for allegedly providing financial help to the shooters involved in firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's house, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary (37), an official said.

He is the fifth person to be arrested in the firing case.

Two motorcycle-borne persons opened fire outside Khan's residence at the Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai's Bandra area on April 14 and fled from the spot.

The official said Chowdhary's role had come to light during the interrogation of the persons arrested in the case.

He is a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and was in direct contact with the alleged shooters - Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, the official said.

Choudhary allegedly provided financial support to Pal and Gupta to purchase a motorcycle and rent a house, he said.

He also conducted a recce around Khan's residence more than five times, the official said.

Before the firing incident, Choudhary went to Panvel in neighbouring Navi Mumbai and stayed with Pal and Gupta, he said.

Choudhary provided all the logistical support to the accused persons since the conspiracy of firing was hatched, the official said.

After a specific information received about Chowdhary's whereabouts, a crime branch team was sent to Rajasthan and he was apprehended from Nagaur district, he said.

The Mumbai police have so far arrested five persons in connection with the case of firing outside Khan's residence.

One of the arrested persons, Anuj Thapan, who was accused of supplying weapons to the shooters, allegedly hanged himself in a police lock-up here on May 1.

Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Sabarmati central prison in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in the US or Canada, have been named in the firing case.