Attack on Salman Khan’s house: Navi Mumbai police arrest fifth accused from Haryana

An officer said the role of Gogalia was identified after the interrogation of four arrested accused — Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Vapsi Khan alias Waseem Chikna and Rizwan Khan.

The deputy commissioner of Navi Mumbai police then reached out to their counterparts at Bhiwani in Haryana, who then apprehended Gogalia. A team was subsequently sent to the location and Gogalia was taken into custody.

An officer said that Gogalia was given the responsibility of making arrangements for the accommodation of the accused and to provide vehicles for committing the crime.

Senior police inspector Nitin Thakre of Panvel police said, “Gogalia was part of the group conspiring to target Khan and he was constantly in touch with the four accused through video calls.”

The arrests come more than a month after two accused fired shots outside Khan’s Bandra residence.

The Navi Mumbai police claim that a second attempt to attack Khan was planned when he would be on his way to his Panvel farmhouse.

Nearly 17 people were involved in the Navi Mumbai operation and they had conducted a recce at Panvel in February this year. Among those booked are gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his cousin brother Anmol and accomplice Goldy Brar.

Khan has been on the radar of the gang after he shot a blackbuck during the shooting of a movie in Rajasthan in 1998 and has since been receiving threats.

Police believe that this is a bid by Bishnoi to gain a foothold in Mumbai and begin extortion in the city.

As per the FIR, Panvel senior inspector Nitin Thakre received a tip-off about members of the Bishnoi gang camping in Panvel to conduct a recce.

Police said Kashyap was also in touch with a Pakistan-based person identified as Dogar to purchase AK-47s that were to be used in the attack. After the attack, the accused were to go underground and reassemble in Kanyakumari from where they were to go to Sri Lanka, police added.