Mumbai Police Official Denies Reported Advisory Telling Bollywood Stars to Avoid Crowds

Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Manoj Sharma has denied reports that police issued a fresh advisory telling Bollywood actors to avoid crowded places and fans after the Oct. 18 shooting at Tiger Shroff's car. India Today and IANS had reported the advisory, citing a senior officer.

Nov 10, 2026 - 10:16

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A Mumbai Police joint commissioner on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, denied reports that the city's police had issued a fresh security advisory telling Bollywood actors to avoid crowded public places and to stop mingling with fans, hours after several outlets reported such an advisory in the wake of the Oct. 18 shooting at actor Tiger Shroff's car, according to Variety India.

"That's not true and doesn't reflect the facts. Please verify the information thoroughly before publishing any such news," Joint Commissioner Manoj Sharma told Variety India, responding to a report by a publication. Variety India said Sharma had "categorically denied" the claims about a new advisory and that his response contradicted the report's central assertion that Mumbai Police had circulated fresh instructions to actors after the shooting.

What the reports said

Earlier on Tuesday, India Today reported, citing sources who spoke to India Today TV, that Mumbai Police had issued a security advisory urging actors to avoid crowded public places and to refrain from mingling with fans in public. A senior Mumbai Police officer said the advisory had been issued as a precautionary measure in view of renewed security concerns surrounding celebrities in the city, according to the report by Dipesh D. Tripathi.

The news agency IANS carried a similar account the same day, reporting that a senior Mumbai Police official said actors had been advised to avoid visiting public places, mingling with fans in crowded areas and attending large gatherings. IANS linked the step to revelations during the investigation that several celebrities' homes had allegedly been scouted, and to threats that several actors had reportedly received from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Variety India described the report it was responding to as saying actors had been told to avoid crowded places, unfamiliar gatherings, crowd selfies and events that could pose security risks.

Reuters, in a report published by Gulf Times, relayed the advisory as reported by local media citing an unnamed senior police officer, and said the Mumbai Police Commissioner's office had not responded to an email seeking comment. The Times of India also published the advisory account on Tuesday evening India time, attributing it to the India Today TV report.

The Oct. 18 shooting

The reports followed the attack on Sunday, Oct. 18, when three men on a motorcycle opened fire at Shroff's car in the Juhu area of Mumbai, according to IANS. Variety India reported that the assailants fired at the actor's BMW after he left a football match. India Today and The Times of India reported that the 36-year-old actor escaped largely unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. IANS reported that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang shared a social media post within hours of the incident claiming responsibility for the attack.

Citing local media and police, Reuters reported that the three suspected shooters were arrested within days and that eight others allegedly linked to the conspiracy were detained later. Police are investigating whether the attack was linked to a criminal gang associated with earlier attacks on Bollywood personalities, the agency reported, citing local reports.

According to IANS, sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch said on Oct. 21 that the accused had conducted reconnaissance of the residences of several celebrities before the attack, including those of Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan. Auto-rickshaw drivers had taken the accused to the homes of Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan, the agency reported. IANS also reported that the shooters had been instructed to target celebrities with less stringent security, and that they had learned from social media reels shared by fans that Shroff did not have police protection at the time.

Bachchan's glass barrier and political reaction

Last week, Bachchan greeted fans outside his Juhu bungalow, Jalsa, from behind bulletproof glass, India Today and The Times of India reported. The extra protection followed an email sent to Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde threatening bomb blasts at Bachchan's residence, according to India Today. The actor removed the barrier days later and, on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 8, returned to greeting fans without it, as he has done for more than four decades, the outlet reported.

The removal of the barrier drew a political response, with the Congress party questioning whether the threat to Bollywood personalities had actually subsided or whether the BJP-led government in Maharashtra wanted to avoid embarrassment, India Today reported. "Whether bulletproof glass is removed as it shows the government in bad light or the threat is over, this is something only Amitabh ji can answer," a Congress leader said, according to the outlet.

Threats to other actors

Several Bollywood celebrities have received threats from people claiming to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, India Today and The Times of India reported. Last week, actor Ayushmann Khurrana received a threatening audio message from a man claiming to be an aide of the jailed gangster who purportedly demanded crores of rupees, according to Mumbai Police sources cited by both outlets. IANS reported that members of the film industry including Amaal Mallik, Mika Singh, Vidyut Jammwal, Shatrughan Sinha and Ravi Kishan had raised concerns after the Shroff shooting.

Reuters reported that the shooting prompted a wider security reassessment for Bollywood personalities by police and by the private security teams that protect them, citing local media. The agency noted that the industry has been targeted by organized crime groups through attacks, extortion demands and threats for more than three decades, and that many leading stars employ private armed guards, with some receiving government police protection depending on their threat assessment.