 "Bhuj police arrested two accused Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal in connection with the firing incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan and handed them to the Mumbai Crime Branch. (Photo: ANI)")
The Mumbai police's crime branch revealed to a local court on Tuesday that the two arrested suspects in the firing incident that took place outside of Salman Khan's residence in Bandra, Mumbai, aimed to kill the Bollywood star.
The two accused were identified as Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21). They both hailed from Bihar and were apprehended from Mata No Madh village in Gujarat's Kutch district after evading arrest since the early Sunday morning, when the shooting incident at Khan's residence in Galaxy Apartment occurred.
Preliminary interrogation revealed the active involvement of the accused in the offense, with both admitting to carrying out the firing. Gupta was riding the motorcycle while Pal, seated behind him, fired shots at Khan's house.
Presented before a magistrate's court on Tuesday, the police sought custody of the accused for 14 days. The crime branch asserted in its remand note that the suspects had aimed to kill Khan and stressed the necessity of custody to identify the mastermind and ascertain the motive behind the attack before a magistrate court.
The police also emphasised the need for further investigation to recover the firearm used in the incident and examine the motorcycle used by the suspects. Additionally, they noted a Facebook post claiming responsibility for the attack, originating from a foreign location, necessitating further probe.
The accused face charges under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention), along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate L S Paden was granted police custody of the suspects until April 25, considering the need for custodial interrogation to uncover the motive and mastermind.
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The shooting occurred around 5 am on Sunday when two motorcycle-borne assailants fired outside Khan's house in Bandra and fled, leaving the motorcycle near Mount Mary Church, approximately a kilometer away from the actor's residence.
(With inputs from agencies)
