E-Paper
Tiger Shroff firing: 2 Sonepat youths among 3 held; Panipat gangster suspected mastermind
Accused intercepted on Pune-Jaipur Express fleeing to Nepal; Haryana Police examining role of US-based Bishnoi gang operative Anil Pandit, who claimed responsibility over actor’s links with Salman Khan.
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Rohtak: Investigation into Sunday night’s firing at actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai’s Juhu has revealed a Haryana link, with state police probing the recruitment of local youths and the role of US-based Panipat gangster Anil Pandit as the suspected mastermind.
This follows the apprehension of three suspects at Rajasthan’s Kota station on Monday, two of whom belong to Sonepat, Haryana. They have been identified as Rehan Ansari, 18, and a 17-year-old minor. The third suspect, Ritik Kumar, 22, who was riding the motorcycle during the escape, is a native of Begusarai in Bihar.
Haryana Police officials investigating the case suspect Pandit, an alleged operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi network, orchestrated the operation, recruited local runners, and coordinated the hit. Investigators are probing how youngsters with no prior criminal antecedents in Haryana were drawn into the syndicate’s execution chain.
Sonepat commissioner of police Mamta Singh said district police are profiling the suspects, tracing their local network, and investigating who recruited them for the hit. Initial checks by Haryana Police revealed no prior criminal record for either Rehan or the juvenile within the state.
Meanwhile, Rehan’s family denied knowledge of his involvement. His father, Rahisudin, a welding shop worker in Sonepat, said Rehan and his mother had been living separately in Dewru village for the past five years. Rahisudin said he learned about his son’s arrest through media reports, adding that Rehan had left home a few days ago claiming he had found work at a welding shop in Gurugram.
According to intelligence inputs, Pandit, a resident of Rair Kalan village in Panipat, fled to Canada in 2023 before moving to the US. Operating out of California after aligning with gangster Randeep Malik, Pandit faces over 12 criminal cases of extortion and gang activity across Haryana.
Hours after the attack, Pandit released a joint social media post and audio note claiming responsibility on behalf of the Bishnoi gang, alleging Shroff was targeted for ignoring warnings against working with actor Salman Khan.
Police officials are verifying the authenticity of the post while actively examining Pandit’s role as the key plotter.
The firing occurred around 7 PM on Sunday outside Pushpa Narsee Park in Mumbai’s Juhu area. Three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at a BMW carrying actor Tiger Shroff as he was leaving a sports venue. While the actor escaped gunshot injuries, his driver and a bystander sustained injuries before Shroff took control of the vehicle and rushed them to Nanavati Hospital.
