Police investigating the October 18 shooting outside actor Tiger Shroff’s residence have found that the alleged gunmen had also conducted reconnaissance at the homes of Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, in addition to Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra West, Mumbai.
Three more people were arrested on Wednesday, taking the total number of accused in the case to 10. Investigators believe the shooters were recruited by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and that Shroff was not their original target. According to police, the gang allegedly chose him because he did not have security cover comparable to that of another intended target, whose protection was considered too difficult to breach.
The findings emerged during the interrogation of the two alleged shooters, Phool Singh and Rehan Ansari, both 18, and their alleged accomplice Hritik Kumar, also known as Roshan Ramu Mahto. Police are continuing to question the accused to establish the full extent of the conspiracy and identify everyone involved.
Shooters spent a month in Mumbai before attack
Singh and Ansari, residents of Haryana’s Sonipat district, had reportedly stayed in Mumbai for around a month before the firing outside Shroff’s residence in Juhu on October 18. During their stay, they checked into different lodges in Dadar and spent approximately ₹2 lakh, including the cost of the Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle allegedly used in the attack, police said.
Investigators said the accused surveyed the residences of Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor during this period. The Khar residence of Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor’s home in Mumbai were among the locations they allegedly monitored.
The two shooters also told investigators that they visited the Juhu football ground where Shroff regularly played on October 11, a week before the shooting. They were reportedly unarmed during that visit.
According to their account, they received the pistols allegedly used in the attack on October 17, a day before the firing. They then went to a forested area to practise shooting, but one of the pistols jammed. The accused claimed they returned with the weapons to their lodge and that the pistol accidentally discharged while they were trying to repair it.
Police have not yet verified these claims and are examining the sequence of events described by the accused.
Three more accused linked to alleged conspiracy
The three people arrested on Wednesday were identified as Sameer, Jatin and Ankit. They were detained in Sonipat and were expected to be brought to Mumbai early on Thursday.
Police suspect Sameer of being a co-conspirator who was in contact with Anil Pandit, described by investigators as a key operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who allegedly orchestrated the October 18 shooting.
Jatin is accused of travelling with Kunal Sanjay to Amritsar to collect the pistols allegedly used in the attack. Investigators said the weapons were subsequently brought to Mumbai by Radha Verma and Babita Rao, who allegedly handed them over to the shooters.
Jatin is also accused of accompanying the gunmen to Mumbai, arranging accommodation for them and paying them. Ankit allegedly helped organise logistics for the shooters during their stay in the city.
The police are examining the individual roles of the three men as part of the wider investigation into the attack.
Four alleged weapon suppliers and facilitators arrested earlier
Delhi Police arrested four other accused on Tuesday for their alleged roles in supplying weapons to the shooters and providing them with shelter. They were identified as Kunal Sanjay, 21, Sumit Soraliya, 19, Radha Verma, 23, and Babita Rao, 23. The arrests were made in Delhi and Sonipat, Haryana.
According to investigators, the four allegedly helped facilitate the attack by arranging firearms and harbouring the men involved. Police are probing how the weapons were procured, transported to Mumbai and delivered to the alleged shooters.
The latest arrests follow the apprehension of the two alleged gunmen and their accomplice. After the shooting, the three were intercepted in Kota, Rajasthan, while travelling on a train bound for New Delhi. They were subsequently brought to Mumbai on Wednesday.
Police yet to recover firearms and mobile phones
The 10 accused arrested in the case by Wednesday include the two alleged shooters, their accomplice and people suspected of helping with the conspiracy, weapons and logistics. The accused are being questioned to establish the chain of communication and the extent of the alleged gang’s involvement.
Police have yet to recover the firearms used in the shooting or the accused persons’ mobile phones, which investigators hope could provide further evidence about the planning and execution of the attack.
The three men arrested on Wednesday were being brought to Mumbai for further investigation. The other accused have been remanded to police custody until October 31.
Investigators are continuing to verify the shooters’ statements about their movements before the attack, the reconnaissance at the actors’ residences and the circumstances in which one of the pistols allegedly jammed and accidentally fired. Police hope further interrogation will clarify why Shroff was selected as the target and establish the roles of those suspected of planning and facilitating the shooting.