Salman Khan’s father and noted screenwriter Salim Khan has broken his silence after the firing outside his residence, Galaxy Apartments, at Bandra in Mumbai on Sunday, saying there was "nothing to worry about."
"There is nothing to tell. They just want publicity, there is no need to worry," Salim Khan told CNN News 18, hours after multiple shots were fired outside Khan’s residence.
However, there is no official word from the police or Khan's family on whether the actor was present in the house at the time of the incident.
Khan's response comes as Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the shooting, calling it the "first and last warning". He has also threatened that the next time "the bullets won't be fired at walls or an empty home." The Mumbai police had also identified one of the suspects captured on CCTV as Vishal alias Kalu, a shooter in the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the firing has officially been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch, the city police have confirmed. As many as 15 teams of the Crime Branch were deployed to investigate the incident.
Police said the preliminary investigation suggested that the firing was calculated and the accused had covered their faces. A total of four rounds were fired by the accused and a live cartridge was recovered from the spot.
Salman Khan with his father and screenwriter Salim Khan | PTI
Previous threats
In March last year, an e-mail threatening Khan was received at his office following which the Mumbai police registered an FIR against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar and another person under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506-II (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).
The FIR was based on a complaint lodged with the Bandra police by one Prashant Gunjalkar, who according to cops frequently visited the Bandra-based residence of Khan and ran an artist management company.
The e-mail stated that Khan must have seen an interview given to a news channel by Lawrence Bishnoi, and if not, he should see it. Addressing Gunjalkar, it said if Khan wants to close the matter, he should talk face-to-face with "Goldy bhai", adding there is still time but agli bar, jhatka dekhne ko milega (you'll see something shocking next time), police earlier said.
In June 2022, an unidentified person threatened Khan via a handwritten note, they said.
