Fresh details have emerged in the shooting case involving Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, with CCTV footage from Surat railway station helping police track down the three alleged assailants, who were arrested in Rajasthan’s Kota on Monday.
Shroff escaped unhurt after three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at him in Mumbai on Sunday evening as he was leaving a club in his car after playing football. The suspects subsequently travelled by road from Mumbai to Surat, where they boarded the Pune-Jaipur Express (train 12939). They were arrested in Kota on Monday morning while allegedly attempting to flee to Nepal via Delhi.
Also read: Shooters planned to kill Tiger Shroff in Mumbai, motive unclear, say police
According to railway officials, a team of Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) was formed based on inputs received from the police. "The surveillance footage was checked at various stations after which they were tracked from Surat railway station. The team of rail police along with local police apprehended them at Kota the next day, at around 10.15 am," said a Western Railway official.
Fresh clip shows men rushing to catch train
Two CCTV footages seen by HT show the trio rushing their way to catch the train. Two of the three men are dressed in white shirts, while the third one is seen wearing a blue T-shirt, carrying a bag. They can be seen walking hurriedly outside the station.
On the platform, the trio is seen rushing past the crowd to catch the train – two running ahead and the third one closely following behind.
The CCTV footages became a crucial piece of evidence for the cops who were trying to nab the assailants in the high-profile case.
How investigators tracked the assailants
The three suspects were detained from the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Express when the train arrived at Kota railway station.
According to the RPF, Kota division received information from the Mumbai Police crime branch about the suspects travelling on the train in connection with the firing incident in Juhu.
"The joint team checked the train upon its arrival and detained the three men before they could proceed further. Preliminary information indicated that the suspects had travelled by road from Mumbai to Surat before boarding the train," said the railway official.
Who are the assailants?
The suspects have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka (18), a resident of Sonipat in Haryana; Ritwik Kurmi alias Roshan Fighter (22), reportedly from Bihar and currently residing in Andheri West. While the third suspect was initially said to be a minor, the cops later clarified that all the three men are adults – the third one identified as 18-years-old-Phool Singh.
One of the accused is said to be a driver working for app based aggregator Rapido. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement: "We are deeply concerned by the incident involving Mr. Tiger Shroff and his team, and we are relieved that he is safe. We wish him a swift recovery. We are aware of media reports mentioning an individual registered as a captain on the Rapido platform. He has not been active as a captain on our platform since 14th October. As is common in India’s larger gig economy, individuals may be registered with several platforms at the same time. On the day of the incident, the individual had used Rapido’s services as a customer".
The statement further read, “We are in constant touch with the authorities and are supporting them in their investigation. We responded promptly and have shared all the information requested from us. Rapido has zero tolerance for violence or criminal activity, and we will continue to extend our full cooperation.”