Accused in Salman Khan house firing incident found dead: Post mortem confirms hanging, say cops

Mumbai, May 3

The post-mortem report of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the April 14 firing incident outside the Bandra house of actor Salman Khan, confirmed he died of hanging as there are ligature marks on the neck and signs of asphyxia, a Mumbai police official said on Friday.

Thapan, who was held from Punjab along with his associate Sonu Bishnoi on April 26 and is accused of supplying firearms and bullets for the firing incident, was found dead in the lock-up of the Crime Branch in the commissionerate complex at Crawford Market on Wednesday.

He had allegedly hanged himself with a bed sheet in the toilet of the lock-up, as per police.

“The post-mortem was conducted on Thursday evening in state-run JJ Hospital in Byculla. As per the report, there are ligature marks on the neck and signs of asphyxia, all of which confirm that he died of hanging,” the police official said.

The doctors who conducted the post-mortem have reserved their opinions, while the deceased’s viscera, tissue and other samples have been preserved for forensic and chemical analysis and organs for histopathology, he informed.

“Footage from the lock-up CCTV shows Thapan going into the toilet alone. It is a clear cut case of suicide,” another official said.

Four persons, comprising Thapan, Bishnoi, shooters Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, have been arrested in connection with the firing incident, while gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi have been shown as wanted accused, as per police.