Anuj Thapan, a 23-year-old man arrested in connection with the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence, tragically died by suicide while in police custody at the Mumbai police headquarters near Crawford Market. Thapan, also known as Anujkumar Omprakash Thapan, was apprehended from Punjab on April 26 and was being held in a common lock-up along with 11 other individuals arrested in various crimes under investigation by the crime branch and economic offenses wing.
According to police reports, Thapan was found hanging from a window grill in the lock-up’s toilet on Wednesday afternoon. Despite immediate medical attention at Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital, he was declared dead. The State CID will conduct an investigation into his death, and his body will undergo a post-mortem examination at JJ Hospital.
Sources from the lock-up revealed that Thapan had been visibly anxious since the previous night, expressing concerns about his legal situation and the stringent charges filed against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The Mumbai police had invoked MCOCA against Thapan and others linked to the organised crime syndicate associated with Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi.
Thapan and his accomplice Sonu Subhash Chander, also known as Sonukumar Bishnoi, were alleged to have supplied the firearms used in the firing incident outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments on April 14. The crime branch had arrested the two alleged shooters, Vicky Kumar Gupta and Sagar Kumar Pal, from Gujarat shortly after the incident.
Thapan, who worked as a truck cleaner, was reportedly affiliated with Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang and facilitated the delivery of weapons as instructed. The police recovered the pistols used in the shooting from the Tapi river along with live ammunition.
Sources By Agencies
