A special court on Friday denied bail to Vicky Gupta, one of the alleged shooters involved in the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence in April. Special Judge BD Shelke, presiding over cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), rejected Gupta’s bail plea, though the detailed order is yet to be released.
Gupta was arrested along with others following the incident that took place outside Galaxy Apartments on April 14, where he and co-accused Sagar Pal allegedly opened fire while riding past on a motorcycle.In his bail plea, filed through lawyers Amit Mishra and Pankaj Ghildiyal, Gupta claimed he was influenced by the persona of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as portrayed in the media. He stated that he felt “magnetically attached to the principles” followed by Bishnoi, who is known to be an ardent admirer of Bhagat Singh.
Opposing the bail plea, the police argued that the crime was orchestrated at the behest of Lawrence Bishnoi through his criminal syndicate. They expressed concerns that if granted bail, Gupta might relay information about the investigation to Bishnoi, potentially compromising ongoing evidence collection. The police highlighted Gupta’s role in the case, asserting that he had purchased the motorcycle used in the crime under instructions from the Bishnoi brothers, Lawrence and Anmol.
Besides Gupta and Pal, others currently in judicial custody include Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohd Rafiq Choudhary, and Harpal Singh. Another accused, Anujkumar Thapan, reportedly died by suicide while in custody. Both Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi have been named as wanted accused in the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police.
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