Tiger Shroff shooting: Is Mumbai’s underworld making a comeback?

The shooting targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai's Juhu area has renewed concerns over the possible return of organised crime to the city, with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang's suspected involvement raising questions about whether Mumbai could witness a resurgence of the underworld violence that marked the 1990s.

The attack on Sunday, in which Shroff escaped unhurt while two others were injured, has brought attention to a series of incidents involving prominent personalities, including the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and earlier attacks linked to the Bishnoi network.

Although police have not confirmed the gang's involvement in the latest shooting, a social media post purportedly issued on its behalf claimed responsibility. Investigators are examining the authenticity of the claim and the identities of those responsible.

The developments have revived debate over whether newer criminal networks are attempting to establish themselves in a city where established underworld syndicates were weakened after decades of police action.

𝗠𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗶'𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁

During the 1980s and 1990s, Mumbai witnessed violent rivalries involving criminal syndicates led by Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan and Arun Gawli.

Extortion, contract killings and threats against businessmen and film personalities became recurring features of organised crime during that period.

The 1993 serial bomb blasts marked a major turning point, deepening divisions within the underworld and changing the relationships between rival gangs.

Dawood's D-Company and Chhota Rajan's network emerged as opposing groups, with their rivalry increasingly acquiring political and communal dimensions.

The Mumbai Police subsequently launched an extensive campaign against organised crime, leading to an era of police encounters in which more than 500 alleged gangsters were killed.

While several encounters later faced scrutiny, the crackdown significantly weakened the influence of established criminal syndicates.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱

The influence of Mumbai's traditional underworld gradually declined as police operations, arrests and internal conflicts disrupted criminal networks.

The last shooting in Mumbai attributed to D-Company took place in November 2002, while Arun Gawli's gang was linked to its last murder in the city in 2008.

The 2011 killing of journalist J Dey was the last murder attributed to Chhota Rajan's gang.

These developments marked a significant change from the period when organised crime groups openly threatened film producers, businessmen and other prominent individuals.

However, the weakening of older syndicates has also raised concerns among some former police officers that newer criminal organisations could attempt to occupy the space left behind.

𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗶 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿

The Lawrence Bishnoi network has drawn increasing attention because of its alleged involvement in violent incidents involving public figures.

The murder of Baba Siddique in October 2024 was linked by Mumbai Police to the Bishnoi gang, raising questions about its activities in the country's financial capital.

The shooting targeting Shroff has further intensified scrutiny, although investigators have yet to establish whether the same network was responsible.

According to senior police officers familiar with Mumbai's underworld, the Bishnoi network may be seeking to build an international criminal organisation with a presence in major Indian cities.

Some officers believe the gang's ambitions could extend beyond those of earlier Mumbai-based syndicates.

Such assessments, however, remain interpretations of the gang's suspected objectives rather than established findings about the latest attack.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲

Unlike older Mumbai gangs that relied heavily on local criminal networks, newer syndicates are suspected of operating through contacts across several states and abroad.

Police investigations into recent attacks have pointed to the possible recruitment of shooters from outside Maharashtra, complicating efforts to identify those directing the operations.

The use of social media to issue threats and claim responsibility for attacks has also emerged as a feature of contemporary organised crime.

Investigators are examining whether the shooting targeting Shroff involved similar methods.

The gang's public messaging has also attracted attention for its use of nationalist and religious slogans, drawing comparisons with the political positioning adopted by rival underworld figures following the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Mumbai Police have formed 15 teams to investigate the shooting targeting Shroff and identify the assailants.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage, tracing the attackers' escape route and looking into possible links with organised criminal networks.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said police have obtained important leads and assured Shroff that those responsible would be arrested.

The incident has also raised questions about security arrangements for prominent personalities and the ability of criminal groups to carry out attacks in busy public areas.

Whether the latest shooting represents an attempt by an organised crime network to establish a larger presence in Mumbai remains under investigation.

For now, the incidents involving film personalities and other public figures have renewed concerns about criminal intimidation in a city that spent decades dismantling its once-powerful underworld.