Two people arrested for shooting at Bollywood star Salman Khan's house in Mumbai | Bollywood News

Khan has been in the crosshairs of an armed gang since 1998 for shooting two blackbuck on a recreational hunting trip.

Two members of a notorious crime gang have been arrested for shooting up the home of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, in apparent retaliation for the star's killing of two impalas decades ago.

The Bishnoi gang, accused of numerous murders and extortion, hail from a broader desert religious sect that views the species as reincarnations of their guru.

Khan, 58, had been a target of the group since 1998 after he shot two black antelope on a recreational hunting trip.

The gang's jailed leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, had threatened to assassinate Khan in the past.

Two men riding a motorcycle opened fire on Khan's first-floor apartment during the early hours of Sunday morning in Mumbai's upscale Bandra neighbourhood, also firing several shots into the air before fleeing.

Khan, who is always guarded by armed police due to threats to his life, was at home when the shooting occurred.

Police said the two men, aged 24 and 21, were arrested on Tuesday in the western state of Gujarat.

“We were able to locate the accused near a temple,” Kutch district police officer Mahendra Bagaria said. “One of our teams reached the temple and arrested the accused.”

Members of the Bishnoi community filed a criminal case against Khan for allegedly shooting blackbuck for 20 years.

A local court sentenced Khan to five years in prison for violating the Wildlife Protection Act in 2018.

But the sentence was stayed on appeal just days after Khan was sent to prison, prompting Lawrence Bishnoi to warn shortly afterwards that his gang would take the law into their own hands.

The gang leader was accused of masterminding several murders, including the murder of famous Indian rapper Sidhu Moose Walla in 2022.

Khan has starred in nearly 150 films and TV shows since his first success in the 1980s, and remains one of the most iconic figures in Bollywood.

But his personal life has long been the subject of controversy.

In 2002, he allegedly ran over five people sleeping on the sidewalk in an upscale Mumbai neighbourhood, killing one of them in a late-night hit-and-run.

He was acquitted, but authorities appealed his acquittal in 2016, and the case remains ongoing.