Anuj Thapan, Accused in Salman Khan House Firing Case, Dies by Suicide in Jail

Anuj Thapan, 32, was arrested from Punjab on April 26. Later that day, he reportedly went to the toilet attached to the police lock-up at 11 am and took his own life. He was one of 10 inmates in the lock-up, which was guarded by four or five policemen. Thapan and another accused, Sonu Subhash Chander, were allegedly involved in providing the weapons used in a firing incident outside the home of the actor from ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ on April 14.

The reasons leading to Anuj Thapan’s suicide are currently under investigation. Former Maharashtra senior police officer PK Jain noted that any death in a lock-up is treated as a murder case. He stated that all the policemen in the police station would be questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Jain mentioned that it’s common practice for police to check lock-ups for any objects that could be used for suicide, and that there have been cases where individuals have died by suicide using items from the lock-up.

In addition to Anuj Thapan and Sonu Subhash Chander, two others, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were also in police custody for allegedly firing the shots. These four individuals are believed to be connected, either directly or indirectly, to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Lawrence Bishnoi is known for activities such as kidnapping, murder, extortion, smuggling of weapons and narcotics, and illegal liquor trade. The Mumbai Crime Branch had previously announced Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi as the most wanted suspects in the case.

Since November 2022, actor Salman Khan’s security level has been increased due to threats from Lawrence Bishnoi and another gangster, Goldy Brar. This includes permission for Khan to carry a personal firearm and the use of an armored vehicle for transportation.