The attackers had fired six rounds, of which two bullets hit
A notorious criminal and sharpshooter who had attempted to take Rakesh Roshan’s life in 2000 was arrested on October 9, 2020.
Fifty-two-year-old Sunil V Gaikwad was arrested in Kalwa, Thane, Maharashtra, at around 9 pm. He has been detained three months after he jumped parole.
Senior inspector of Central Crime Unit Anil Honrao said:
“We had received a tip-off that Gaikwad is coming to Parsik Circle area. Accordingly, we laid a trap and caught him.
“The accused has 11 cases of murder and seven cases of attempt to murder registered against him.
“One of these includes an attempt on Bollywood director Rakesh Roshan’s life in 2000.”
The attack on Rakesh Roshan happened on January 21, 2000. He was shot outside his Santa Cruz office in the western suburbs of Mumbai by two assailants.
The attackers had fired six rounds, of which two bullets hit the Bollywood filmmaker.
One bullet hit him on the left arm while the other grazed his chest. As Rakesh fell to the ground, the assailants fled the area.
Police identified the hitmen as Gaikwad and Sachin Kamble.
It was reported that the shooting was not meant as an attack on his life. Instead, it was a signal that political party Shiv Sena could no longer protect its clients.
Rakesh had resisted demands from gangster Ali Budesh who had asked for a percentage of the overseas profits from the 2000 hit Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai.
Gaikwad and Kamble were two hitmen who worked for Budesh.
According to police officials, Gaikwad was active between 1999 and 2000 and was involved in several crimes. He was mostly associated with gangs that were led by Budesh and Subhash Singh Thakur.
During that period, he was also involved in an incident in Nashik where he had opened fire on police personnel.
SI Honrao explained:
“Gaikwad had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case and was lodged at Nashik central jail.”
“However, he came out on a 28-day parole on June 26 this year.
“He was expected to return to jail after completion of the parole period. However, he did not do so. He was hiding till his arrest last night.
“Gaikwad would be handed over to the Pant Nagar police, where an offence of escape has been registered.”
Rakesh Roshan celebrated his 71st birthday on September 6, 2020.
On the work front, he is working on the fourth instalment of the hit superhero franchise Krrish, which stars his son and frequent collaborator Hrithik Roshan.
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