Three suspects allegedly involved in the shooting targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff were arrested on Monday after police intercepted them aboard a train at Rajasthan's Kota railway station, less than 15 hours after the attack in Mumbai's Juhu area.
The suspects, including Ritik alias Roshan from Bihar's Begusarai and Rehan from Haryana's Sonipat, were detained from the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express when it stopped at Kota at 10.17 am.
According to police, the three were allegedly planning to travel from Jaipur to Delhi before crossing the international border into Nepal.
Mumbai Police subsequently took custody of the suspects and obtained transit remand to bring them to Maharashtra for further investigation.
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฑ-๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said the suspects were apprehended during a swift operation after Rajasthan Police received information about their movements.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the accused had fled towards Surat after the shooting before boarding a train bound for Jaipur.
"Mumbai police tracked their movements, contacted Rajasthan police and secured their interception at Kota railway station with the assistance of the local police," Fadnavis said.
Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roshan said 20 special Crime Branch teams were involved in the operation, with technical and operational assistance from police in Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The suspects were questioned at the Kota SP's office before being handed over to the Mumbai Police team.
๐ง๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, DCP Roshan said two of the three suspects allegedly fired five to six rounds at Shroff's vehicle on Sunday evening.
He said two suspects were from Haryana and one from Bihar. All three were identified as adults, with one aged 18 and the other two aged 22.
Kota Police initially raised questions about the age of one suspect based on his date of birth, but subsequent verification established that he had turned 18.
The motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was recovered from Mumbai's Andheri area. However, police have not recovered any firearm from the three suspects.
The shooting occurred in Juhu on Sunday evening when gunmen opened fire at Shroff's car. The actor escaped without serious injuries, while his driver and a bystander were injured.
Police have registered offences including attempt to murder and violations of the Arms Act.
๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐ถ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ
Investigators are examining a possible connection between the suspects and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which purportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting through an unverified social media post.
Police said Rehan was in contact with Anil Pandit, an alleged associate of the Bishnoi network.
A purported audio recording attributed to Pandit, a 32-year-old US-based gangster originally from Haryana's Panipat, has also circulated on social media.
In the recording, the speaker claims Shroff was targeted for allegedly ignoring warnings not to associate with actor Salman Khan.
The voice also demands an apology from Khan over the 1998 blackbuck hunting case and threatens other film personalities associated with him.
The authenticity of the audio recording has not been independently verified.
Police said the motive behind the shooting remained unclear and would be investigated through questioning of the arrested suspects.
"There was no complaint earlier of any threat to Tiger Shroff," DCP Roshan said.
He added that investigators would establish the motive after interrogating the suspects.
๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐
Rehan's father, Raisuddin, told reporters in Haryana that his son had previously been booked in a case under the Arms Act and was out on bail.
He said Rehan, a Class 9 dropout, had been living separately from him for nearly a decade and was staying with his mother in Devdu village.
Raisuddin, a daily-wage worker, said Rehan's mother, who works in a factory, had arranged his bail in the earlier case.
๐๐ถ๐น๐บ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป
The shooting has prompted concern among film industry organisations about the safety of actors and other entertainment professionals.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) said the incident was particularly disturbing because it followed a shooting involving filmmaker Rohit Shetty in February this year.
The federation called for an impartial and time-bound investigation to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
The All India Cine Workers Association also questioned the security situation in Mumbai, asking how ordinary residents could feel safe when prominent film personalities were being targeted.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ
The attack has triggered criticism from opposition leaders in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut questioned the Devendra Fadnavis government's handling of law and order, alleging an increase in shootings, murders, extortion and kidnappings.
Raut said the opposition was demanding a change in government because of its concerns over public safety.
Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, said all those involved in the attack would be traced and brought to justice.
"Everyone involved in this will be traced. No one will be spared," he asserted.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who met Shroff after the shooting on Sunday night, called for strong action against criminal networks.
The Mumbai Police will now question the three arrested suspects to establish the motive, trace the firearms used in the attack and determine whether others were involved in planning or directing the shooting.