In the Salman Khan house firing case, a new turn of events has come with an accused applying for bail at a special court in Mumbai. The accused, Vicky Gupta, has claimed that he was influenced by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

More than three months ago, gunshots were fired outside Salman Khan's residence in Bandra, Mumbai, on April 14. The superstar later recorded his statement, alleging that Lawrence Bishnoi's gang was behind the assault. In the latest turn of events, Gupta has claimed he was inspired by Bishnoi's ideologies.

Gupta had filed the bail application on Monday before a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), submitting that Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in the Sabarmati jail, is falsely implicated in the case and has no link with the firing.

Gupta had added that the gunshots were taken to appease Salman Khan over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case against the actor. He insisted that he had not himself got any personal communication from Bishnoi.

The accused, hailing from a remote village in Bihar, lost his job in Tamil Nadu during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently contacted co-accused Sagar Pal. The applicant was "compelled to commit the crime," according to Gupta, who also stressed that Khan was not the target of his crimes.

According to the Indian Express, in their bail application, Amit Mishra and Pankaj Ghildiyal claimed that Bishnoi was a "driven follower of Mr. Bhagat Singh" and that Gupta was "magnetically attached" to his principles. This was due to Gupta's exposure to Bishnoi's social media presence.

The plea claimed that the co-accused, Sagar, told Gupta of a "religious mission" in Mumbai, which took him to the city since he was in dire need of money to support his family. Gupta claimed to be unaware of the incident till April 13.

In July, the Mumbai Crime Branch filed a 1,735-page chargesheet, accessed by India Today, which includes Salman Khan's detailed statement on the firing. During this time, the actor revealed that he heard something like the sound of a cracker when two gunmen fired at his Galaxy Apartment in Bandra. He later confirmed the incident through his guards. Khan accepted that it was Bishnoi who was behind the firing, carried out by the gang members of Bishnoi.

Salman expressed his concern towards his family, who all were sleeping while the whole scene took place, and he further mentioned that the shooters did have an intention to kill him and his family. Then, the two suspects were taken into custody in Gujarat.

Professionally, Salman Khan is preparing for the release of his upcoming film, Sikandar, which is helmed by AR Murugadoss and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is scheduled to enter theaters on Eid 2025. Tiger 3 was his last appearance.