Firing at Salman Khan home: Aadhaar, bike deal... How cops nabbed shooters

The two accused had submitted their original Aadhaar cards for a rent agreement and bike purchase documents

The crime branch of the Mumbai Police caught the two accused of firing at Salmam Khan's Bandra residence through their Aadhaar cards, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

An official said the two accused, identified as Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21), had submitted their original Aadhaar cards for a rent agreement and bike purchase documents. This helped the police establish their identities.

The accused, who had been on the run since the shooting incident at Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai early Sunday morning, were arrested from Mata No Madh village in Gujarat's Kutch district.

Following their identification, the police used human and technical intelligence to track them, and the joint teams of the Kutch West and the Mumbai Police caught both accused on Monday night.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Kutch West, Mahendra Bagadiya, said: "A preliminary probe suggested that both Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta had been hired by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to open fire at Khan's house."

Primary investigation revealed that the accused aimed to kill the Bollywood star. Gupta was riding the motorcycle while Pal fired shots at Khan's house.

A Mumbai Police official said the men reached Mumbai on February 28. Upon their arrival from Bihar's Champaran, they rented a house near Panvel city in Raigad, around 13 km from Khan's farmhouse. The official added that the accused used their original Aadhaar cards for a rent agreement.

The official said: "The agreement was made with the house owner, wherein the one-time deposit was fixed at Rs 10,000 and monthly rent at Rs 3,500." The official further said that after staying in Panvel for a few days, the duo travelled back to Bihar on March 18 for Holi celebrations, and returned to Mumbai on April 1. On April 2, Gupta purchased a second-hand motorcycle from Navi Mumbai for Rs 24,000, he said.

The official said that a pistol was delivered to them by their operator. "Considering the make of the round, police suspect a good-quality weapon was used," he said.

After firing at Khan's residence, they left the bike near Mount Mary Church in Bandra, and went to the local railway station and boarded a Borivali-bound local train. "They alighted at Santacruz railway station and from Vakola area they hired a car to go to Surat. From Surat, they travelled to Bhuj in a state transport bus," he said.

The firearm used by them was dumped in a river while heading to Surat.

Speaking on their arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Lakhmi Gautam said: "With the help of human and technical intelligence, the crime branch team received information that the accused persons were in Gujarat, following which two teams were sent to nab them."

A police official said that they traced the original owner of the motorcycle to Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. The owner then helped the police in finding the agent, who showed the documents submitted for the purchase of the bike. Based on these documents, which included a rent agreement, police contacted the house owner. The Aadhaar cards revealed the identity of the duo, he added.

The police presented the accused before a magistrate's court on Tuesday, and sought their custody for 14 days. 

(With inputs from PTI)