Fifth arrest made over plot to harm Salman Khan

The Panvel police had arrested four persons on Saturday. The probe included infiltrating social media groups of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the police said.

A man was arrested by the Navi Mumbai police from Haryana’s Bhiwani in connection with a plot to attack actor Salman Khan, taking the number of persons held in the case to five, an official said on Sunday. He is said to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar gangs.

In April, a few members of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang had fired outside Salman Khan’s house following which a few arrests were made.

Earlier, the Panvel police had arrested four persons after getting a tip off in September-October last year about a conspiracy to harm the actor. The probe included infiltrating social media groups of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the police said.

In an official release, the Navi Mumbai police identified the accused as Deepak Hawasingh Gogalia, alias Jonny Walmiki, 30. It said Gogalia had made accommodation arrangements for the other accused. He provided logistical and vehicle support. Gogalia was in touch with the other accused through video calls, it added.

The release said he was nabbed after deputy commissioner of police (zone 11), Panvel, Vivek Pansare sought the help of Bhiwani SP Varun Singhala and a crime branch team from Navi Mumbai left for the northern state.

Gogalia was produced before a magistrate in Bhiwani on Sunday, who granted the Navi Mumbai police transit remand till June 5, the release said, adding he was being brought to Panvel.

On Saturday, DCP Pansare had told media that senior inspector Nitin Thackeray of the Panvel police station had got inputs in September-October last year

about a conspiracy to harm the actor. Their probe found that four gang members had recced Salman’s farmhouse in Panvel, the area around his home at Bandra in Mumbai and places he visited for film shooting, the DCP had said. In April, a case was registered against 17 persons, including Lawrence Bishnoi and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, he had said.

Dhananjay Tapesingh, alias Ajay Kashyap, 28, was arrested from Panvel on April 28, while Gaurav Bhatia, alias Sandeep Bishnoi, was taken into custody from Gujarat on the same day, the official said on Saturday.

Vaspi Khan, alias Waseem Chikna, was picked from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Rizwan Khan, alias Javed Khan, was arrested from Bangalore.