Strap/Blurb: 18-yr-old held for questioning released later, family claims him as innocent
The Special Task Force (STF) Haryana has questioned an 18-year-old Class 12 student in connection with the firing incident targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, with his family claiming that the youth is innocent and has been suffering from kidney ailments for several years.
The student, identified as Sameer, is a childhood friend of Sonepat’s Rehan Ansari, one of the alleged shooters arrested in the case along with two others—including a minor.
A senior STF officer told HT that Sameer was called in for questioning and to identify the criminals involved in the case. He was released later. The officials said they were also examining Rehan’s link with his friends including Aman of Gohana who reportedly helped him get bail in an arms act case in September.
However, Sameer’s family members denied his links with the firing incident. According to family members, the STF took Sameer into custody for questioning over allegations that he helped facilitate contact between Rehan and Anil Pandit, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who claimed responsibility for the firing in a social media post.
Sameer’s mother, Manju, demanded her son’s release in an interaction with the media, citing his poor health conditions. Sameer’s mother, Manju, and aunt, Babli said he has been suffering from kidney problems since the age of 14 and has been undergoing continuous treatment.
{{/usCountry}}Sameer’s mother, Manju, demanded her son’s release in an interaction with the media, citing his poor health conditions. Sameer’s mother, Manju, and aunt, Babli said he has been suffering from kidney problems since the age of 14 and has been undergoing continuous treatment.
{{/usCountry}}“Sameer is just a child, an innocent boy. After returning from school, he rarely goes outside the house,” his mother said, appealing to the authorities to ensure a fair investigation.
According to family members, Sameer is the youngest of four siblings and one of his sisters is married. His father, Hasan works in a private job. The family currently lives in a colony after previously residing in Devru village, where they were neighbours of Rehan’s family.
On the other hand Rehan’s mother, Shamshida, told the media that Rehan wanted to continue his studies. In 2025, he took admission in class 10 but a few months later he dropped out. Shamshida said she has lived separately from her husband Raisuddin Ansari for about 10 years and stays with her son Rehan at her parental home in Devru village.
After dropping out of school, Rehan worked at a milk factory in Murthal, then moved to Gurugram on the promise of higher wages. In August 2026, he allegedly posed with friends Sameer and Boni holding weapons, the photos were uploaded on Instagram, leading to an FIR and 14 days in jail. He was granted bail on September 3 and released on September 5. Afterwards, she said an unknown caller offered him ₹2 lakh for work, and he went missing.
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