Mumbai: Anuj Thap, the accused arrested in the case of shooting in actor Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandra, committed suicide today in the lockup of Mumbai Police Crime Branch. In the lock-up toilet, Anuj tore the bedsheet and hanged himself with its pieces. The suicide of the accused in this case, which created havoc in the entire country including Bollywood, has raised questions on the security arrangements of the police. In this case, action can also be taken against the police personnel deployed on duty in the lockup. Taking cognizance of this incident, the police has started a detailed investigation.
Subhash Chander (age 37) and Anuj Thapan (age 32) were arrested from Punjab for supplying pistols to two shooters in Panvel for firing at Salman's house.
He was kept along with another accused in a lockup on the first floor of the crime branch building inside the Police Commissioner's office complex in south Mumbai. The interrogation of Anuj in the firing case was not completed.
In this case, two accused were taken to record their statements. Today Anuj went to the washroom where he hanged himself with a sheet near the window.
The incident was reported at 1 pm. Even after a long time, Anuj did not come out of the washroom. Therefore, when the crime branch officer forcefully opened the door, Anuj was found hanging inside the window.
After knowing about this incident, Anuj was immediately taken to GT Hospital but he died.
The suicide of the accused in the Salman Khan firing case created a sensation in the police department.
On receiving information about this incident, senior police officers arrived for investigation.
In this case, a report of sudden death has been registered at Azad Maidan police station.
On the morning of April 14, Vicky Gupta (24 years) and Sagar Pal (21 years) fired five rounds from a pistol outside Salman's Bandra residence on a bike. Fortunately, no one was injured in the firing. Police arrested both the shooters from the mother's cremation site in Kutch. The arms and cartridges to both the shooters were provided by accused Subhash Chander (age 37) and Anuj Thapan (age 32). The team of Mumbai Crime Branch Unit-9 arrested both of them from North Punjab.
On March 15, he came to Panvel to hand over two country-made pistols and 38 live cartridges to the shooter. Both of them stayed in the shooter's rented house in Panvel for about 3 hours. To test the pistol, Chander and Thapan fired two rounds out of 40.
The shooter's motive behind firing outside Salman's house was to spread terror.
While fleeing from Mumbai to his mother's house, Suter had thrown two pistols and cartridges into the Tapi river in Surat. Later the police recovered 17 cartridges and two pistols from the river. Four days before the shooting, the shooter had done recce of Salman's huge farm house in Panvel. About 10 km from the farm house. He rented a house in distant Harigram Visetar.
The shooter took shooting training in his native village in West Champaran district of Bihar.
Accused Anuj Thapan worked as a helper on the track and was associated with Bishnoi gang. Serious cases were registered against him.
After the firing, Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has taken responsibility for the attack.