Mumbai Crime Branch foils alleged assassination plot, five arrested

The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five individuals in Andheri in connection with an alleged assassination plot. According to the FIR registered by the AEC, the accused are linked to a notorious gangster’s network and were reportedly involved in a plan to assassinate an important figure in the city.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspects have links with the Bishnoi gang—a group implicated in several recent crimes in Mumbai, including the murder of a senior NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader, Baba Siddique, and a shooting incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Given that Salman Khan has historically been on the gang’s hit list, authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the actor might have been the intended target.

The FIR states that in mid-February, intelligence indicated that, on the instruction of a notorious gangster, members of his gang had been mobilised in Mumbai. Following two major incidents of firing and murder in the city, officials took the threat seriously and began an investigation. Further information received on March 28 pointed to the gang’s presence near the Platinum Hotel in Andheri, where they were reportedly preparing to carry out their plan.

During raids at the hotel, the AEC detained five individuals who were found in possession of a country-made pistol, seven firearms, 21 live cartridges, mobile phones, and SIM cards. The suspects, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab, have been identified as Vikas Thakur alias Vicky, 24, Sumitkumar Dilawar 26, Devendra Saxena, 24, Shreyas Yadav, 27, Vivek Kumar Gupta, 22.

The AEC has not revealed the identity of the intended target as the investigation continues, with authorities currently scrutinising the digital footprints of the accused. “The accused were apprehended based on specific intelligence, and further verification is underway,” a senior officer said.