Anuj Thapan, accused in the Salman Khan house shooting case, has died while in police custody, according to several reports in Indian media.
Anuj Thapan, who was arrested on April 26 from Punjab, took his own life in the lock-up’s toilet at 11 am, despite being housed with 10 other inmates and guarded by 4-5 police officers.
Anuj Thapan and Sonu Subhash Chander were accused of supplying the weapons used in the shooting outside Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence on April 14.
The motives behind Thapan’s suicide are currently under investigation. Talking to Indian media, former Maharashtra senior police officer PK Jain said that any death in a lock-up is treated as a murder case, and an inquiry by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will be conducted, involving questioning of all police personnel at the station. Jain also noted that police typically ensure lock-ups are free from objects that could be used for self-harm or suicide.
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On April 14, 2024, a shooting incident occurred outside the residence of Bollywood star Salman Khan in Bandra, with two individuals firing multiple shots outside his Galaxy Apartments home. In connection with the case, Anuj Thapan and Sonu Subhash Chander were taken into custody by the Mumbai Police in April for allegedly providing firearms to the shooters, Vicky and Sagar.
The Mumbai crime branch has also invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and other accused individuals in connection with the shooting incident at Bollywood star’s Bandra residence.
Salman Khan, a famed Indian movie star, was recognized as the ninth highest-paid actor and 71st highest-paid celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine in 2017. He was ranked as the top Indian celebrity on the Forbes India list in both 2017 and 2018, with a net worth exceeding $347 million as of 2024.
