One of the two guns suppliers involved in the shooting outside superstar Salman Khan’s home committed himself today while in police custody, according to reports.
Anuj Thapan, 32, who was detained in Punjab on April 26, went to a bathroom linked to the police lockup around 11 a.m. and took the drastic action, according to reports.
He stayed in the lockup alongside ten other convicts, who were guarded by four to five police officers.
On April 14, he and another accused, Sonu Subhash Chander, reportedly handed over the firearms used in the firing outside the ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ actor’s Mumbai residence.
According to reports, the circumstances behind Anuj Thapan’s suicide are being investigated.
Former Maharashtra senior police official PK Jain told NDTV that each death in a prison is treated as a murder case. “All the policemen in the police station will be questioned by the CID (Criminal Investigation Department),” Mr. Jain told reporters.
According to the former top officer, cops regularly examine lock-ups for anything that may be used to commit suicide.
“There have been situations where people committed suicide within prisons using a rope fashioned of pyjamas… A policeman is always guarding the lock-up to ensure that detainees do not escape, and to keep an eye on suicide attempts.” Mr Jain
Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, who reportedly fired the rounds, are also in police custody. Both were captured on CCTV leaving the area on a motorbike the night of the incident.
All four accused are known to be directly or indirectly linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose main activities, according to the anti-terror body National Investigation Agency (NIA), include kidnapping, murder, extortion for ransom, cross-border smuggling of sophisticated weapons and narcotics, in-land smuggling of contraband and illegal spirits smuggling.
Last month, the Mumbai Crime Branch declared that it had acquired substantial evidence against Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi, making them the most sought suspects in the case.
Salman Khan’s security has been upgraded to Y-Plus since November 2022, in response to threats from Lawrence Bishnoi and another criminal, Goldy Brar. The actor is permitted to own a personal pistol and drive an armoured vehicle.
