Salman Khan Firing Case: How Aadhaar Cards And Rent Agreements Aided In The Arrest Of Gunmen

Police were able to establish the names of two suspects by using their genuine Aadhaar cards, which they turned in for a rent agreement and paperwork related to the purchase of a bike. The suspects are sought in relation to the shooting at superstar Salman Khan’s Bandra mansion, an official said on Tuesday. Police tracked them down using both technology and human information after identifying them. Less than 48 hours after one of them opened fire at Khan’s home, joint teams from the Kutch-West and Mumbai Police apprehended Vicky Gupta, 24, and Sagar Pal, 21, late on Monday night from the Gujarati hamlet of Mata No Madh.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang hired both Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta to open fire at Khan’s residence,” Kutch West Deputy Inspector General of Police Mahendra Bagadiya said earlier in the day.

The males, who were initially from Champaran in Bihar, went to Mumbai Central station on February 28, according to a Mumbai Police officer.

According to him, they leased a home in Raigad close to Panvel City, around 13 kilometers from Salman Khan’s land. It is unknown, however, whether they had given the farmhouse a reconnaissance run. He said that they signed a rental agreement using their actual Aadhaar cards. He stated, “An agreement was made with the house owner wherein the monthly rent is ₹ 3,500 and the one-time deposit is fixed at ₹ 10,000.”

The couple left Panvel after a few days and went to Champaran on March 18 to celebrate Holi. April 1st was their return date, he stated.

Vicky Gupta paid ₹ 24,000 to a two-wheeler agent in Navi Mumbai on April 2nd for a used motorbike, he said.

A few days later, their operator in Mumbai sent them a handgun to use for shooting, according to the official.

Following the shooting incident in the early hours of April 14, police retrieved a live bullet from the location.

“Police believe a high-quality weapon was used, given the make of the round,” he said.

Pal, who was riding pillion on the motorbike, may have opened fire as Gupta continued to communicate with gang members while operating the vehicle, according to preliminary investigation.

They started shooting, then abandoned the bike close to Mount Mary Church in Bandra, the officer said. They then walked to the nearby train station and boarded a local train headed for Borivali.

“then got down at the Santacruz train station, and then rented a vehicle to proceed to Surat from the Vakola region. They took a state transport bus from Surat to Bhuj, he claimed.

On their way to Surat, they disposed of the gun used in the crime in a river.

The official said, “Police are attempting to identify the individual who gave the two financial and logistical support for their stay in Pune, as well as for buying the bike and other expenses.”

Joint Commissioner of Police (crime), Lakhmi Gautam, said how the breakthrough was made: “The crime branch team received information that the accused persons were in Gujarat, following which two teams were sent to nab them. This information was obtained with the help of human and technical intelligence.”

There was a chance, he claimed, that the accused had firearms on them.

“The Bhuj Superintendent of Police was informed about the accused persons because our officials were unfamiliar with the terrain in Bhuj,” he said.

About sixty kilometers from Bhuj, a team from the criminal section of Bhuj joined Mumbai Police officers.

“The two accused were apprehended by the squad after traveling about 40 kilometers after that. This morning, they were transported to Mumbai, according to Lakhmi Gautam.

According to a different officer, the police first located the motorcycle’s rightful owner in Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai.

According to the official, the owner led them to the agent, who displayed the paperwork filed in order to buy the bike.

Police got in touch with the home owner based on these papers, which included a rent agreement. He said that the two’s identities were made clear by the Aadhaar cards.

Lakhmi Gautam said that while the Mumbai Police and their Gujarati counterparts took separate credit for the arrest, there is considerable collaboration across sister agencies.