Unusual beard, calls to brother: How Mumbai police traced 2 shooters accused of shooting outside Salman Khan’s house

“Using technical intelligence, we tracked down the new SIM card number that was used by Pal and found its location at Nakhatrana city in Bhuj. Later a team from the crime branch was flown there from Mumbai,” an officer said. Local police, too, reached the spot some time later.

“When our team reached, the accused were not there and their phones were switched off,” an officer said. The challenge then was to find out where they went. “There were three roads from the spot where the mobile was switched off. Three teams went on those roads, asking local dhabas and shops if they had seen the two men, showing their photographs,” the officer said.

CM Eknath Shinde meets actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan at their residence in Mumbai on Tuesday. (ANI)

The accused had given their Aadhaar and other details while renting a house in Panvel where they resided for over a month before carrying out the attack. Police reached Panvel after they found the bike used by the accused dumped near Mount Mary church in Bandra.

“What helped was Sagar had a long nose and a soul patch beard, which was a bit unusual, especially in the area that had a sparse population. Soon a shop owner told our team he had seen the two men go from there,” the officer said.

The building where the accused lived on the fourth floor in Harigram village, Panvel. (Express photo: Narendra Vaskar)

The teams then focused on low-cost hotels, lodges, dharamshalas and temples where nobody is restricted from entering.

“The temple from where they were arrested was 45 kilometres away from where the mobile was switched off. Through trial and error, our team along with help from the local Bhuj police, managed to trace the duo to the temple. We then entered as devotees and spotted them sleeping in one corner and eventually arrested them,” said an officer linked to the probe.

Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam addresses a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Express photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)

Police found that the duo was working on instruction of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who claimed responsibility for the firing soon after the incident. Anmol had been talking to the accused and guiding them in staying under the radar.

Police are still looking for the firearm used by the accused and the mobile phones that were initially used by them. “We have seized the mobile phone he used with the new SIM card. Technical analysis of the same is being carried out by the team, which will help us get some more clarity,” the officer added.

Bullet marks at Salman Khan’s building. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

On Wednesday, police detained a third suspect from Haryana in  connection with the case and are checking if he acted as an intermediary between the duo and Anmol Bishnoi.