Tiger Shroff Firing: 3 Accused in Custody, 10th Suspect Held

A Mumbai court on Wednesday, Oct. 21, remanded the three men accused of opening fire at actor Tiger Shroff's car to police custody until Oct. 31, as investigators widened the case to include an alleged weapons supply network stretching from Punjab to Mumbai, according to The Indian Express and The Times of India. Mumbai Police said in a press conference the same day that a 10th accused had been detained in Haryana, India Today reported.

The attack in Juhu

The shooting took place at around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, as Shroff's BMW left the Pushpa Narsee football ground in Juhu, according to The Hindu. Police said five to six rounds were fired at the car before the attackers fled on a motorcycle, which was later found abandoned in Andheri, The Indian Express reported. Police registered a case of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act.

Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured, according to The Indian Express and The Economic Times. The FIR, filed on the complaint of driver Firdous Ibrahim Baloch, states that Baloch was shot in the left wrist and fractured his right ring finger, and that Shroff suffered injuries to his chest and right hand, according to an earlier Indian Express report. After the firing, Shroff moved into the driver's seat and drove himself and Baloch to the Santacruz Police Station, the report said.

CCTV footage and call data records place the three suspects at the same ground on Oct. 11, a week before the shooting, when Shroff did not turn up, The Indian Express reported. "Shroff loves playing football and comes to Pushpa Narsee Ground between 5 pm and 7 pm every Sunday. He hardly misses any Sunday," a friend of the actor told the paper.

Arrests and court proceedings

Kota city police picked up the three suspects from a train in Rajasthan on Monday, Oct. 19, and handed them to Mumbai Police, according to The Indian Express. They were identified as Rehan and Phool Singh, both from Sonipat in Haryana, and Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai. The Hindu, citing police, reported that a phone call one suspect briefly made to a cab driver near Borivali helped investigators trace the group's route through Surat to a Jaipur-bound train.

In court, police sought 14 days' custody, saying the weapons used had not been recovered and that the accused had destroyed two mobile phones, according to The Indian Express. Defence lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi opposed the request, arguing the trio had already been questioned during a 48-hour transit remand. The court granted custody until Oct. 31. The Times of India reported that, according to the Mumbai Crime Branch, the shooters had initially targeted another Bollywood celebrity but shifted focus to Shroff after finding that person had tight security; police have not named that celebrity.

Alleged weapons supply network

The Delhi Police Special Cell on Tuesday, Oct. 20, arrested four more people, Kunal, Sumit, Radha and Babita, over the alleged supply of the pistol, according to The Indian Express and India Today. Police allege that Kunal collected a pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition from Amritsar on the instructions of Anil Pandit, communicating with him through an encrypted messaging app. Radha and Babita allegedly carried the weapon by train from New Delhi to Mumbai, where a minor boy collected the bag near their Dadar hotel on Oct. 17, the reports said.

India Today reported that Ankit Rajesh Khatak and Sameer, both from Sonipat, were also arrested, with Ankit allegedly staying in Mumbai for around 20 days to conduct reconnaissance alongside the shooters. The 10th accused, Jatin, was detained in Sonipat and allegedly arranged weapons for the attack, police said.

India Today reported that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack. The Hindu reported that a purported audio message and social media posts making that claim have surfaced, but that police have not independently established their authenticity or confirmed the gang's involvement. The case is being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch's Anti-Extortion Cell, according to The Hindu.