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. According to the police, there were ligature marks on his neck and signs of asphyxia. However, later in the day, Thapan’s kin refused to take the body, claiming he was “tortured and murdered” and sought a
CBI probe
in the matter.
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
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.
Meanwhile, Thapan’s maternal grandfather Jashwant Singh (54), two relatives and lawyers, who arrived in Mumbai in the early hours of the day from Punjab, refused to claim his body to perform the final rites and sought a
Central Bureau of Investigation
probe. “We were asked to claim the body. On our request, when the hospital staff showed us his face, we found ligature marks on the neck. Seeing these marks, we are clear he was murdered after being tortured,” Singh said.
“We will not accept the body till out demand (of CBI probe) is met. If they are accepted, then we will claim the body by tomorrow. There must be a CBI probe and police personnel involved in the death must be punished,” Singh added.
The police had called them (kin) at 3 pm on Wednesday to inform about Thapan’s death, Singh said.
Four persons, comprising Thapan, Sonu 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
Firing At Salman’s Home: Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol claims responsibility
