Two arrested for threatening Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan using Lawrence Bishnoi’s name

MUMBAI: The Bandra police have arrested a man and a woman for allegedly threatening actor Salman Khan’s father and legendary scriptwriter Salim Khan by using gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s name. The police, however, said it appeared to be a prank, and the accused weren’t connected with the gangster, whose fugitive brother Anmol Bishnoi had claimed responsibility for the firing outside Khan’s apartment in April.

The incident took place around 8.45 am on Wednesday when Salim Khan was on his morning walk on the Carter Road promenade. According to the police, the two accused were on a scooter on Carter Road when they allegedly noticed Khan and approached him, before the man said in a threatening tone: “Lawrance Bishnoi ko bheju kya? (Should I send Lawrance Bishnoi?)” They then rode off towards Bandstand.

Khan reported the incident to the Bandra police. Based on his complaint, a case was registered against the duo under Sections 353(2) (creating feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities), 292 (public nuisance), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“Khan was able to see just four digits of the scooter’s number plate, 7444, based on which we identified the man and apprehended him,” said Sanjay Marathe, senior police inspector of Bandra police station. The man was identified as Umar Asif Babar Ali Shaikh, 26, a resident of Sewri. The two accused were produced in court and remanded in police custody for a day.

In another incident, the police arrested a biker for rash and negligent driving after he rode close to Salman Khan’s car in Bandra late on Tuesday evening when the actor was returning home from Mehboob Studio. The biker, heading in the same direction, allegedly entered the police convoy accompanying Khan and rode close to the actor’s car despite being instructed to maintain some distance.

After the actor reached his house, two police vehicles chased the biker and nabbed him, before registering a case of rash driving against him. The biker was identified as Uzair Mohiuddin, 21. “There is no threat angle in the incident. The biker was not aware that it was Salman Khan’s car,” said a senior police official.

These incidents have occurred in the backdrop of heightened security for Khan and his family members after two purported members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang fired a few rounds at the actor’s Bandra West residence in the early hours of April 14. The police have arrested six people since then, including the two shooters, Vicky Kumar Gupta and Sagar Kumar Pal.

In its chargesheet for the case, the police named nine people, including Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in Canada. He allegedly instructed Gupta to fire shots outside Khan’s residence to intimidate the actor. The other individuals arrested in the case are Sonu Bishnoi, Mohammed Rafiq Sardar Choudhari and Harpal Singh. One of the arrested accused, Anuj Thapan, died by suicide while in police custody.

Khan, who has received several threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has been provided ‘Y-plus’ security cover by the Mumbai police.