The Crime Branch of the city police, which is leading the probe into the shooting, presented three suspects—Vicky Gupta (24), Sagar Pal (21), and Anuj Thapan (32)—before a court on Monday.The court remanded them in police custody until May 8. Lawrence Bishnoi, currently incarcerated in the Sabarmati Central Prison in Ahmedabad, and his younger brother Anmol, believed to be residing in either the US or Canada, are prime suspects in the case.
Anmol had previously claimed responsibility for the shooting via a Facebook post, although investigations revealed that the post’s IP address originated from Portugal. Given the range of Bishnoi’s criminal network, authorities are scrutinizing whether the gang received assistance from anti-national elements abroad, including the supply of arms and financial backing, according to the police’s remand application.
Additionally, investigators are keen on uncovering the origins of the weapons used by the alleged shooters in the recent incident. An official told PTI, “Police were also investigating the source of the weapons supplied to the alleged shooters in the present case.”
He further alleged a ‘terror’ and ‘extortion’ plot at play. “Investigators believe that the Bishnoi gang wanted to create terror in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, and were probing if the gang members had tried to extort money from businesspersons, film actors and builders in the city,” he said.
Last month, reports of the police potentially looking into an international connection in the case, came to light on the involvement of the NIA in the early stages of the investigations.
Crackdown continues: NIA grills shooters as Mumbai Police arrest 2 weapon suppliers from Punjab
