Kin seek CBI probe into death of Salman home shooting accused

The post-mortem report of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the April 14 firing incident outside the Bandra house of actor Salman Khan, confirmed he died of hanging as there are ligature marks on the neck and signs of asphyxia, a Mumbai police official said on Friday.

Later in the day, his kin refused to take the body, claiming Thapan was "tortured and murdered" and sought a CBI probe.

Thapan, who was held from Punjab along with his associate Sonu Bishnoi on April 26 and is accused of supplying firearms and bullets for the firing incident, was found dead in the lock-up of the Crime Branch in the commissionerate complex at Crawford Market on Wednesday.

He had allegedly hanged himself with a bed sheet in the toilet of the lock-up, as per the police.

"The post-mortem was conducted on Thursday evening in state-run JJ Hospital in Byculla. As per the report, there are ligature marks on the neck and signs of asphyxia, all of which confirm that he died of hanging," the police official said.

The doctors who conducted the post mortem have reserved their opinions, while the deceased's viscera, tissue and other samples have been preserved for forensic and chemical analysis and organs for histopathology, he informed.

"Footage from the lock-up CCTV shows Thapan going into the toilet alone. It is a clear cut case of suicide," another official said.

Meanwhile, Thapan's maternal grandfather Jashwant Singh (54), two relatives and lawyers, who arrived here in the early hours of the day from Punjab, refused to claim his body and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

"We were asked to claim the body. On our request, when the hospital staff showed us his face, we found ligature marks on the neck. Seeing these marks, we are clear he was murdered after being tortured," Singh said.

"We will not accept the body till out demand (of CBI probe) is met. If they are accepted, then we will claim the body by tomorrow. There must be a CBI probe and police personnel involved in the death must be punished," Singh added.

The police had called them (kin) at 3pm on Wednesday to inform about Thapan's death, Singh said.

Four persons, comprising Thapan, Sonu Bishnoi, shooters Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, have been arrested in connection with the firing incident, while gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi have been shown as wanted accused, as per police.