Quicksplained: Who are Anmol Bishnoi, Rohit Godara, the gangsters behind firing at Salman Khan’s home?

Two suspects on a motorcycle fired five rounds at Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra on early Sunday.

The responsibility for the firing was claimed by Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in a purported Facebook post.

According to News18 sources, the attack was carried out by Rohit Godara, who operates Bishnoi’s gang in Rajasthan.

One of the shooters, identified as Vishal, reportedly works for Godara, who is known for his involvement in a string of crimes, including murder.

#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Visuals from outside actor Salman Khan's residence in Bandra where two unidentified men opened fire this morning.

Police and forensic team present on the spot. pic.twitter.com/fVXgHzEW0J

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2024

More from Explainers

What happened during Trump's call with Zelenskyy and European leaders? Trump-Putin summit: Why Russia sold Alaska to the US in 1867

Here’s all we know about the two gangsters behind the firing at Salman Khan’s home.

Who is Anmol Bishnoi?

Anmol Bishnoi alias Bhanu is the brother of infamous gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently behind bars in a drug smuggling case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He is accused in the killing of singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala who was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on 29 May 2022. In 2023, the agency filed a chargesheet against him, however, he escaped from India on a fake passport, as per DNA India.

Impact Shorts

View All

'My god, what have we done': The 2 US pilots who dropped atomic bombs on Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki

US is making it tougher to obtain green card for married couples. Here’s why

He reportedly keeps on changing his locations and last year he was spotted in Kenya.

According to Indian Express, he is booked in 18 criminal cases and has served time in the Jodhpur jail. He was released on bail on 7 October 2021.

In the latest incident, as per India Today, Bishnoi issued a warning to Salman Khan by saying that this was just a trailer and “not to test the magnitude of their strength.”

Who is Rohit Godara?

Rohit Godara is a close associate of Lawrence Bishnoi and handles all the gang’s operations from the UK.

“With the help of the authority concerned, the NIA wants to deport him from the UK as they have assured them of easier deportation,” Indian Express quoted its sources as saying.

As per News18, in 2023, he made headlines for claiming responsibility for the on-camera murder of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in Rajasthan’s Jaipur. “I am Rohit Fodara Kapursari, brother of Goldy Brar. Today, we take full responsibility for the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi. He used to back our enemies.” Godara said in a Facebook post after the incident in December 2023.

Godara is also one of the accused in Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder case.

According to a Hindustan Times report, he is a resident of Bikaner’s Lunakaran and is believed to reside in Canada currently.

He is booked in more than 35 criminal cases, including murder and extortion.

He fled to Dubai from Delhi with a fake passport.

Godara’s shooter, Vishal alias Kalu, was also involved in the murder of a Gurgaon-based bookie, Sachin on 2 March. Godara later took responsibility for the murder.

With inputs from agencies