Shooters accused of firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car had also conducted a recce of actor Ranbir Kapoor’s Bandra residence in Mumbai, sources said, raising questions about whether other celebrities were also on their radar.
The development comes as the Mumbai Police probe into the shooting widens, with investigators looking into an alleged firearm supply network linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Mumbai Police told a court on Wednesday that the attack on Shroff was allegedly carried out at the behest of Anil Pandit, an associate of the Bishnoi gang. The probe has led to the arrest of eight people so far, with investigators examining the alleged conspiracy, the supply of weapons and the roles of those involved.
Three key accused involved in the firing were brought to Mumbai from Kota in Rajasthan on Wednesday and remanded to police custody until October 31.
THREE ACCUSED SENT TO POLICE CUSTODY
The Mumbai Crime Branch produced Rehan alias Sukka, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana; Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and currently living in Mumbai; and Phool Singh, from Haryana, before a magistrate’s court.
Police sought 14 days of custody, saying they needed to recover the weapons used in the crime and investigate the conspiracy and motive behind the attack. Investigators also told the court that two mobile phones had been destroyed and that electronic evidence, including call detail records, needed to be collected.
According to the police, the accused were identified through an analysis of CCTV footage and the tracking of a motorcycle allegedly used in the shooting.
Defence lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi opposed the police remand, arguing that custody was not necessary for weapon recovery and that the accused had already been interrogated during their transit remand.
After hearing both sides, the court remanded the three accused to police custody until October 31.
FIVE MORE HELD IN WEAPONS SUPPLY NETWORK
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roshan said five people, including two women, had been apprehended in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and were being brought to Mumbai.
He said technical analysis and interrogation had helped the Crime Branch identify a wider network allegedly involved in procuring and supplying the firearms used in the shooting.
Acting on intelligence and with assistance from the Delhi and Haryana police, investigators conducted simultaneous raids, Roshan said.
Delhi Police identified four of the arrested suspects as Kunal, 21, and Sumit, 19, both residents of Haryana’s Sonipat district, and Radha, 23, and Babita, 23, both from Uttar Pradesh.
Roshan said investigators were uncovering what he described as a coordinated conspiracy.
“Two of the arrested suspects had travelled to Amritsar to procure the weapons. The two female suspects then smuggled the firearms by train to Mumbai, handing them over directly to the attackers,” he said.
“The newly-arrested male suspect had stayed back in Mumbai alongside the shooters to provide logistical support and local assistance,” Roshan added.
According to Delhi Police, Kunal allegedly collected a pistol and 20 rounds from Amritsar on Anil Pandit’s instructions, with Sumit accompanying him. Radha and Babita allegedly travelled to Mumbai with the weapon.
Pandit, 32, is described by police as a US-based gangster from Panipat and an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
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