Dubai: Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was not the original target in a firing incident in Mumbai, with the shooters allegedly turning their attention to him after failing to reach another prominent celebrity, the Mumbai Crime Branch has said.
According to the police, the suspects had initially planned to target another Bollywood star but could not get close because of tight security. They allegedly then chose Shroff, believing he would be an easier target.
The revelation comes as Mumbai Police takes custody of three suspects arrested in Kota, Rajasthan, in connection with the shooting.
A local court granted the Maharashtra Police team 48-hour transit remand to transport the accused to Mumbai for further investigation.
The suspects were kept at the Railway Colony police station in Kota overnight under tight security. Personnel from the Mumbai Crime Branch and Rajasthan Police maintained a security cordon around the premises.
Police reportedly changed their original plan to transport the suspects to Mumbai overnight, opting instead to keep them in Kota under an alternative security arrangement referred to as ‘Plan B’.
Railway Colony police station officer Ramswaroop Meena confirmed that the three accused had been granted 48-hour transit remand and were being taken to Mumbai by Maharashtra Police.
Firing incident
The incident occurred around 7pm on Sunday in Mumbai’s Juhu area, when Shroff was leaving a football club. The accused allegedly opened fire at the actor’s car. Hours after the shooting, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that Shroff had been targeted for refusing to end his association with actor Salman Khan.
“I am Anil Pandit. I am like a younger brother to Lawrence Bishnoi. We take responsibility for what happened to Tiger Shroff today,” a purported gang member said in an audio clip released after the attack. The speaker claimed that Shroff “was counselled, but did not understand us”.
“In the entire film industry, whoever works without aligning with us, or works with Salman Khan, will be killed. This is the first and last warning,” Pandit said.
According to sources, the shooters were allegedly paid Rs50,000 as an advance and promised additional money and jobs abroad after carrying out the attack. After firing the shots, they reportedly informed their handlers that the operation had been completed.
Shroff escaped direct gunshot injuries, but his driver was injured in the incident.
Police said the suspects were apprehended while travelling on a train. A case has been registered under Sections 109(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are examining the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack and the suspects’ intended target.
With inputs from ANI