The personal bodyguard of Bollywood actor Salman Khan has told a special court in Mumbai that the April 2024 shooting incident at the actor’s residence was an attempt to kill him, as the trial in the case continues.

The trial commenced last month with the deposition of the bodyguard, who is also the complainant and the first witness in the case.

On April 14, 2024, two motorcycle-borne men opened fire outside Khan’s Bandra residence, Galaxy Apartments.

Recounting the incident, the bodyguard testified that he had reported for his regular night shift at 7 pm on April 13, 2024, and that security for the actor had been heightened due to threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

According to his deposition, at around 4am on April 14, the security team heard sounds resembling firecrackers.

“I looked at the CCTV screen. I saw that there were two persons on a bike, wearing helmets and firing towards the building,” the witness stated. He further told the court that the assailants fired four to five times.

“Therefore, I and other guards present there, immediately went outside from the main gate,” the witness said.

He added that both the motorcyclists fled towards the ‘I Love Bandra’ point and from there moved towards Mehboob Studios Road.

The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Mahesh Mule, presented CCTV footage in court showing a motorcycle arriving in front of the gate, with the witness identifying key details from the video.

The bodyguard clarified that at the time of the attack, Khan was in his bedroom on the first floor and asserted that “the firing was an attempt to kill the actor”.

During cross-examination by defence advocate Viral Babar, the witness confirmed he was in the security cabin when he heard the noise. He, however, stated he had no “personal knowledge” of the specific threats issued to the actor.

Another witness, a police guard, testified before the court on Saturday, stating he was in the lobby at the time and did not witness the incident but later saw bullet shells at the spot.

According to the prosecution, accused Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal carried out the firing outside Galaxy Apartments. Police said that Mohammed Rafiq Sardar Chaudhari had conducted a recce of the location two days prior, recorded a video of the area, and sent it to Anmol Bishnoi, a wanted accused in the case.

Gupta and Pal, along with other accused Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohd Rafiq Choudhary and Harpal Singh, are currently in judicial custody. Another accused, Anujkumar Thapan, allegedly died by suicide during police custody.

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi have been named as wanted accused in the case.