Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s security was heightened on Monday and a police van was deployed outside his residence, a day after his father and screenwriter Salim Khan found a threat note addressed to them, a senior police officer said.
According to the police, the note was found on a bench where Salim Khan would usually sit after his morning walk at Bandstand Promenade adding that they are taking the threat seriously. Footage from the cameras installed along the promenade have been scrutinised but nothing could be found so far, said an officer attached to the Bandra police station.
“We have started an investigation into the threat note and are trying to find the culprit,” said Manjunath Shinge, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 9. “The Bandra police station has formed several teams to probe the matter. Extra force has been deployed outside the actor’s residence.”
Also Read | Lawrence Bishnoi questioned over Salman Khan threat letter
Police have also recorded the statements of the actor and his father and two of Salim Khan’s bodyguards, who first noticed the chit.
Unit 9 of the crime branch is also conducting a parallel investigation. “We have formed two teams that are probing all possible angles and trying to ascertain if there was some serious threat to the actor and his family,” said a crime branch unit officer.
A case was registered against an unknown person on Sunday morning.
According to the Bandra police, Salim Khan was on his daily morning walk on the Bandstand promenade along with his security. At 7.40 am, he sat on a bench when his security personnel found a chit with the words, “Moosewala jaisa kar doonga (You will suffer the same fate as Moosewala).”
Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in Mansa village on May 29 with police suspecting involvement of members of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. In 2018, Bishnoi had threatened Salman when the blackbuck poaching case against the actor was being heard in the court. Lawrence belongs to the Bishnoi community, which considers blackbucks to be sacred animals.
In 2020, a sharpshooter named Rahul with several aliases was arrested in Uttarakhand in connection to a murder case. During the investigation, the police found out that he had gone to Mumbai to conduct a recce of Salman’s house, on the instructions of Bishnoi.