A special MCOCA court in Mumbai has formally framed charges against five individuals, including the two alleged shooters, in the April 2024 firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence.
November 27, 2025: The trial in the high-profile firing incident outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments is officially set to begin. On Wednesday, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) framed charges against five arrested accused, paving the way for the commencement of proceedings.
The court order explicitly noted that the accused—allegedly acting as members of an organized crime syndicate headed by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi—had conspired to commit the murder of the actor and establish the gang’s supremacy by instilling fear in the city. All five accused have pleaded not guilty and opted to face the trial.
The Conspiracy and the Accused
The charges relate to the incident on April 14, 2024, when two motorcycle-borne men fired five rounds outside Salman Khan’s Bandra residence at 4:45 a.m.
The five accused who will face trial under IPC sections for criminal conspiracy and attempted murder, along with relevant MCOCA provisions, are:
| Role | Name | Status |
| Alleged Shooters | Vickykumar Gupta & Sagarkumar Pal | In Judicial Custody |
| Weapons Provider | Sonukumar Bishnoi | In Judicial Custody |
| Recce & Information Relay | Rafiq Choudhari & Harpal Hardeep Singh | In Judicial Custody |
The court also named three others as wanted accused: gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi, and Ravtaram Swami alias Rohit Godara.
Key Links Detailed by the Court
The MCOCA court’s framing order detailed the timeline and specific roles in the conspiracy, which allegedly spanned from August 2022 to April 2024:
- Information Gathering: Accused Rafiq Choudhari allegedly conducted the recce of the actor’s home, and the information was passed on by Harpal Singh to the wanted gang leaders.
- Weapons Supply: The arms and ammunition, including two pistols and 40 live cartridges, were allegedly provided to the shooters by Sonukumar Bishnoi and Anujkumar Thapan (who died in police custody).
- Motive: The core objective of the syndicate was to “commit the murder of the victim by use of firearms and to create terror in the minds of the citizens of Mumbai city for establishing supremacy.”
The case gained further complexity when Anmol Bishnoi, a key accused in the conspiracy, was recently deported from the US and arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi in connection with other high-profile cases, including the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique.
The court is scheduled to hear a plea next week from Harpal Singh’s lawyer, who has sought access to crucial CCTV footage and call data records related to the case.