Bollywood actor Salman Khan has told police that he believed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang carried out the firing at his residence in Mumbai in April this year with the intention to kill him and his family members.

The actor’s statement is part of the charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in a court here in connection with the incident.

He heard a firecracker-like sound while being asleep at his residence in Galaxy Apartments in the early hours of April 14, Mr Khan told police.

His police bodyguard told him around 4.55 am that two people on motorbike had fired at the first-floor balcony, he said.

There had been attempts to hurt him and his family earlier, Mr Khan said, adding that his bodyguard lodged a complaint regarding the firing at Bandra police station.

The actor learnt later that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi had confessed and taken responsibility of the attack in a Facebook post, the statement said.

Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members had talked about killing Mr Khan and his relatives earlier too, the statement said, adding, “So, I believe that Lawrence Bishnoi, with the help of his gang members, carried out the firing incident when my family members were sleeping and (they were) planning to kill me and my family members.” He and his family had received several other threats in recent years, the actor told police.

In 2022, a threat letter was found on a bench opposite his building, while in March 2023, they received an email threat from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he said.

Two unidentified persons tried to trespass into his farmhouse near Panvel using fake identities in January 2024, the actor noted.

Police filed the 1,735-page charge sheet in the firing case before the special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act cases earlier this month.

The court recently took cognizance of the charge sheet, saying that prima facie there was enough material to proceed against the six arrested accused.

Those arrested in the case were Vickykumar Gupta, Sagarkumar Pal, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Anujkumar Thapan (now dead), Mohd Rafiq Choudhary and Harpal Singh.

Thapan allegedly committed suicide in police custody after his arrest. The other five are now in judicial custody.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Union Budget for 2024/25 is for the country as a whole and not for any one state, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Wednesday evening in response to sustained opposition censure – that the government disregards states not ruled by the BJP or its allies. He firmly rubbished claims the Union Budget discriminates against opposition-ruled states.

Mr Puri also criticised the opposition – specifically (but not naming) the Congress and Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK – for skipping Saturday’s Niti Aayog meet.

The meeting is to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“There has been no discrimination in the budget…” he told news agency ANI, adding that eight opposition leaders, including the AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, snubbed a meeting in May last year.

“On May 23 – eight opposition Chief Ministers, including Arvind Kejriwal, (Tamil Nadu’s) MK Stalin, and Mamata Banerjee boycotted a ‘Viksit Bharat’ meet…”

#WATCH | Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says, “There has been no discrimination in the budget. They have done it (opposition boycotting NITI Aayog meeting) earlier as well. On May 23, 2023 – eight Chief Ministers of the opposition including Arvind Kejriwal, MK Stalin, and… pic.twitter.com/KkNIBuMSMB

— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024

“We can’t be selective in democracy. The budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman isn’t for a state but it is the union government’s budget. A budget is one thing… NITI Aayog is different…” he said.

Mr Puri wasn’t the only Union Minister to push back.

#WATCH | Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, “I think due to their (the opposition) personal thinking of hatred towards PM Modi – they don’t think about their own people… Be it Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu – eight states have boycotted last year’s NITI Aayog meeting which… pic.twitter.com/vEAWZ2uwVd

— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2024

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal declared the opposition’s boycott of the Niti Aayog meeting indicated their “hatred” of the Prime Minister. “They only talk about democracy… they do drama but they don’t believe in democracy. They are arrogant about the names of their families,” he declared.

BUDGET 2024 | Big Jobs Push, New Tax Regime Benefits, And Reward For Allies

Mr Puri reprimanded opposition leaders for trying to score “political points”. “Chief Ministers can come and raise their grievances… but to make this an issue to score political points… this is not good.”

Presented Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget has been heavily criticised.

BUDGET 2024 | Minimum Wage, Agnipath: P Chidambaram’s 5 Big Demands

The criticism includes policy-related disagreements, such as Congress MP P Chidambaram’s scepticism over the BJP’s three new employment-linked initiatives to solve the jobs crisis.

BUDGET 2024 | “You Will Be Isolated…”: On Budget, Stalin’s Message To PM

It also includes barbs from opposition leaders like MK Stalin, who this evening ‘warned’ Mr Modi of “isolation” if he continues to target political rivals rather than focus on governance.

The budget speech was also slammed by Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee.

BUDGET 2024 | Om Birla vs Abhishek Banerjee As Trinamool Shreds Budget 2024

The opposition’s big allegation is that the budget ignores states not ruled by the BJP’s allies.

They have pointed to packages for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh – ruled by the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party, whose support is key for Mr Modi’s government to maintain majority.

BUDGET 2024 | In Speech, Lok Sabha Election Effect For BJP allies Bihar, Andhra

Mr Puri, however, has dismissed these claims, telling the government’s critics to “read the Budget document and see the provisions”. “Flimsy arguments are being made… being used,” he said.

Ms Sitharaman hit back strongly earlier today, telling the opposition, in Parliament, “…in every budget, you don’t get an opportunity to name every state…“

Pointing to Maharashtra, a state the BJP rules, she said, “If my speech does not mention a state… does it mean Government of India schemes don’t go to these states?” she asked.

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Lisa Roth, a woman from the US, got a call on July 4, 2023, from a person who claimed to be an “agent of Microsoft”. He asked her to transfer $400,000 dollars to a cryptocurrency wallet. Little did Ms Roth know that she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud and was duped of Rs 3.3 crore ($400,000). 

A year later, the Enforcement Directorate arrested a bookie and a cryptocurrency handler based out of Delhi. Lakshya Vij, the bookie, lives in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden and his name surfaced when last year in March, the Gujarat Police arrested him from the Cross River Mall in east Delhi and it was alleged that a senior police officer of Delhi Police got him released.

How The Woman Was Duped

The money transferred by Ms Roth went to the wallets of Praful Gupta and his mother Sarita Gupta. During the investigation, it was also found that a person named Karan Chug was getting this money from Gupta and deposited it in different wallets. 

After this, this amount was transferred to different Indian bogus accounts by selling a cryptocurrency and the money was transferred at the behest of Karan and Lakshya. Later, they used the money received from people on betting apps like Fair Play 24

The probe agency registered a case of money laundering and raided several places last month and recovered digital evidence. Statements of those who owned the crypto wallets that were used in the crime were also recorded. 

In the investigation, it was found that the money was transferred to all the wallets at the behest of Lakshya and he is the mastermind of this fraud. The main accused was produced in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court from where he has been sent on 5-day Enforcement Directorate demand.