Khan has been targeted by an armed group since 1998 for shooting two blackbucks during a hunting trip.
Two members of a criminal group were arrested for shooting at Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s home, possibly because Khan hunted two antelopes years ago.
The Bishnoi gang, known for crimes like murder and extortion, comes from a desert-based religious group that believes the antelope is their spiritual leader’s re-creation.
Khan, aged 58, has been targeted by the group since 1998 for hunting two blackbucks during a leisure trip. The gang’s leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, threatened Khan with assassination in the past. Two men on a motorcycle fired shots at Khan’s apartment early Sunday morning in the upscale Mumbai neighborhood of Bandra and fled. Despite constant police protection due to threats on his life, Khan was at home when the shooting occurred. The two men, aged 24 and 21, were arrested on Tuesday in the western state of Gujarat, near a temple, according to police.
The Bishnoi community pursued a case against Khan for 20 years after he shot blackbucks. In 2018, he was sentenced to five years in jail for breaking wildlife laws, but the penalty was suspended on appeal. This prompted Lawrence Bishnoi to threaten retaliation. Bishnoi has been accused of several murders, including that of rapper Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022.
Khan has acted in nearly 150 films and TV shows since the 1980s and is one of Bollywood’s top stars. However, his personal life has been marked by controversy. In 2002, he was accused of running over five people in Mumbai, killing one. He was faultless, but the case is ongoing.
