Mumbai: Mumbai Police have arrested five more people in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car, taking the total number of accused held to eight, as investigators probe an alleged firearms-supply network linked to Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Anil Pandit.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roshan said the five suspects, including two women, were apprehended from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and are being brought to Mumbai. He said technical analysis and interrogation helped investigators trace the network allegedly involved in procuring and supplying the weapons used in the shooting.
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According to police, Kunal (21) and Sumit (19), both from Haryana’s Sonipat district, travelled to Amritsar to collect a pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition on Pandit’s instructions. Radha (23) and Babita (23), both from Uttar Pradesh, allegedly transported the weapon by train to Mumbai and handed it over to the attackers.
A newly arrested male suspect allegedly stayed in Mumbai alongside the shooters to provide logistical support and local assistance, Roshan said. Police conducted simultaneous raids with assistance from the Delhi and Haryana police.
Pandit, a 32-year-old US-based gangster from Panipat and an alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang associate, is suspected of directing the operation, investigators told the court. The probe is examining the alleged conspiracy, the motive and the roles of those involved.
Meanwhile, vlogger Umesh Chauhan, who was hit by a bullet during the firing, underwent surgery at civic-run KEM Hospital on Wednesday to remove it. His vital parameters were stable and he remained under observation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Bombay court remanded three key accused — Rehan alias Sukka, from Sonipat; Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai; and Phool Singh, from Haryana — to police custody till October 31.
Police sought 14 days’ custody to recover the weapons, collect electronic evidence and investigate the alleged destruction of two mobile phones. The defence opposed the remand, arguing that the accused had already been interrogated during transit remand.
The three were brought to Mumbai from Kota in Rajasthan. They were allegedly involved in the firing at Shroff’s car in Juhu on Sunday evening. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. A motorcycle allegedly used by the shooters was later found abandoned in Andheri.
