The United States Department of Justice (DoJ), in a recent indictment, said that between 2022 and 2026, jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi announced his intention “to murder S.K., a well-known Indian actor and television personality” to promote his “enterprise” and instill fear in the public.The indictment mentioned only the initials, but the reference was unmistakable. The actor is Salman Khan, who, along with those close to him, has been targeted by the Bishnoi gang for years.The scale of that targeting, Mumbai Police investigations show, went far beyond stray threats. At one point, according to the Navi Mumbai Police, as many as 60 to 70 people were tracking Khan’s every movement as part of a Rs 25 lakh plot to kill him near his Panvel farmhouse.Also Read | Will seek extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi: US Justice Department confirmsFor officers investigating the gang, the DoJ’s language echoes what they have recorded in chargesheet after chargesheet, where the motive is described as an attempt to “instil fear among people”.Salman Khan, officers who investigated these cases said, was the foot in the door that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang needed to begin extortion activities in Mumbai, a city where the underworld has traditionally targeted the rich and the famous.An officer said gangs need to create an element of fear for people to pay up. They usually target someone high profile so that the threat gets wider publicity. The Bishnoi gang, police suspect, was attempting to gain a foothold in Mumbai, and the opportunity came knocking in the form of Salman Khan.While Bishnoi claims he is upset with the actor over the shooting of a blackbuck, investigators suspect he is trying to make a name for himself by targeting Khan and using the actor’s proximity to other celebrities to widen his reach. “Hence instructions to those firing, be it outside Salman Khan’s house or Rohit Shetty, it is only to create a scare, not to kill. Only the Baba Siddique case was an exception,” the officer said.Story continues below this adExplained | Can India refuse to extradite Lawrence Bishnoi? Here’s what the law saysThe blackbuck caseThe origin of the actor’s trouble with the gang lies in the alleged shooting of blackbucks in Rajasthan during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998. The Bishnoi community in Rajasthan considers the blackbuck holy and was upset with the actors. An FIR was registered, and Salman Khan was arrested and later released on bail in the case.Years later, when the case was almost forgotten, a grainy clip emerged in 2018. In it, a local gangster named Lawrence Bishnoi, then unknown to most, promised revenge for the blackbuck case while being taken to court. He said, “Salman Khan will be killed here, in Jodhpur… Then he will come to know about our real identity”. Few took the clip seriously at the time.The first recceIt was only after police began investigating the firing outside the actor’s residence in April 2024 that they realised it was not for want of trying that Khan had been left alone all those years.The investigation revealed that the 2018 video was not an empty threat. That same year, Bishnoi sent an associate, Sampat Nehra, to conduct a recce of Khan’s Bandra residence. Nehra was arrested by the Special Task Force of the Haryana Police.Story continues below this adA letter after the Moosewala murderIn June 2022, days after singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead, a threat letter was left at a spot on Bandra Bandstand where the actor’s father, Salim Khan, takes his walks. The letter claimed the actor would meet the same fate as the singer. It read: “Salim Khan, Salman Khan bahot jald aapka Mooselwala hoga GB LB (Salim Khan, Salman Khan will very soon meet Moosewala’s fate).” The initials “LB” and “GB”, police say, presumably stood for Lawrence Bishnoi and his Canada-based aide Goldy Brar.Express View | A global crackdown and a chance for IndiaThe Panvel farmhouse plotAs per the Navi Mumbai Police, the gang’s most elaborate plan was the Rs 25 lakh contract to assassinate Khan either during a movie shoot or while the actor was leaving his Panvel farmhouse.According to the police, nearly 16 to 17 people had been staying in Panvel since November 2023 and conducted a recce over a few months. The plan was to attack Khan on his way to the farmhouse, which he visited frequently, with the wider surveillance network of 60 to 70 people feeding them his movements.As per the chargesheet, the plan was hatched over several months, right up until April 2024, when another splinter group managed to fire outside the actor’s Bandra residence. The gang had planned to acquire advanced weapons from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkey-made Zigana pistol, the weapon used to assassinate Moosewala in broad daylight, as per the chargesheet.Story continues below this adThe gang allegedly communicated through a WhatsApp group with 15 to 16 members, including Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, Kashyap, Bhatia, Cheena, and Javed Khan. The Navi Mumbai Police also identified Sukha Shooter and Dogar from Pakistan as the weapon suppliers.The firing outside his Bandra homeIn the most direct attack on the actor, two motorcycle-borne men fired four to five rounds outside Khan’s Bandra residence in April 2024, with one of the bullets landing inside the house. It was the first time an actual firing had taken place around the actor. His security was upgraded after the incident, and structural changes were made to the building where he lives. Police arrested six accused, named three others as wanted, and filed a chargesheet in the case.Must Read | From Canadian scrutiny to FBI’s Operation Hard Ball: How net tightened around Lawrence BishnoiLater, in a social media post, Anmol Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the firing. “We want peace. If the only decision against oppression is war, then so be it. Salman Khan, we have only shown you a trailer so that you understand the magnitude of our strength and do not test it. This is the first and last warning. After this, shots will not be fired outside the house only.”Targeting those seen as close to KhanBaba Siddique murder: On October 12, 2024, Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique was fatally shot by three assailants outside his son’s office in Bandra. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility, citing Siddique’s alleged ties to Salman Khan. Multiple suspects have been arrested and a chargesheet filed in the case.Story continues below this adGippy Grewal case: In November 2023, after shots were heard outside Punjabi singer-actor Gippy Grewal’s Canada residence, an account posing as Bishnoi warned on Facebook, “You consider Salman Khan a brother, but now it’s time for your ‘brother’ to come and save you. This message is also for Salman Khan – don’t be under the illusion that Dawood will save you.” It was the last public threat before the April 2024 firing at the actor’s residence.Also Read | ‘You know Salman Khan’: Lawrence Bishnoi gang fires at Guru Randhawa’s Delhi gymFiring outside Rohit Shetty’s residence: On February 1, 2025, shots were fired outside director Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence. Four men linked to the gang took responsibility on social media, calling the attack “just a small trailer”. Fifteen people have been arrested, with Shubham Lonkar and Aarzoo Bishnoi shown as wanted accused.Firing outside Kapil Sharma’s cafe: In mid-2025, shots were fired twice outside comedian Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Cafe in Surrey, Canada. An audio recording, purportedly of a gang member, later claimed the cafe was targeted because Khan had been invited to its inauguration.Firing outside AP Dhillon’s residence: On June 17, 2026, the gang claimed responsibility for shootings outside Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s Vancouver home, warning him to “stay within his limits”. Reports linked the attack to Dhillon’s recent music video collaboration with Khan.