The Uttar Pradesh connection in investigations into alleged interstate firearms supply networks linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has resurfaced, with two women originally from Sitapur and Azamgarh, who had been living in Haryana’s Sonipat, among four people arrested in connection with the October 18 firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai.
UP Police are now verifying their backgrounds as investigators probe their alleged role in transporting a pistol and ammunition for the shooters.
Radha, 30, from Sitapur, and Babita, 23, from Azamgarh, were arrested on Tuesday (October 20) along with Kunal, 21, and Sumit, 19, both from Haryana’s Sonipat. Investigators suspect the women acted as arms carriers in a supply chain allegedly coordinated by Anil Pandit, a US-based operative suspected of links to the Bishnoi gang.
Sitapur superintendent of police Ankur Agarwal said Radha’s parents told police that she had married around 10 years ago and divorced about five years ago.
She had been living in the National Capital Region (NCR) and working as a labourer at a private firm, he said. According to her parents, she visited her native village about once a year and was likely to return around Diwali. Police checked her background in her parental village, Agarwal added.
Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said a joint team of Delhi and Mumbai police took Babita into custody from Kotiyar village for questioning. She had worked at a packaging unit around two to three years ago, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said a joint team of Delhi and Mumbai police took Babita into custody from Kotiyar village for questioning. She had worked at a packaging unit around two to three years ago, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The arrests have renewed attention on UP’s presence in investigations into interstate gang operations, including the 2024 murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and separate firearms supply cases involving alleged suppliers from Lucknow and Gorakhpur. However, investigators have not established a common network connecting these cases.
UP women allegedly ferried pistol to Mumbai
According to investigators, Kunal, who had recently been released on bail, was introduced to Pandit through a friend from Harsana village in Haryana. On Pandit’s instructions, Kunal allegedly collected a pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition from Amritsar, accompanied by Sumit.
Kunal subsequently persuaded Radha to travel to Mumbai with the weapon. On October 15, he allegedly took Radha and Babita to New Delhi railway station, with the pistol concealed in Radha’s bag. The women reached Mumbai’s Dadar railway station on October 17, where a minor boy allegedly collected the bag from Radha near their hotel.
Three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area the following evening. The actor escaped unhurt, while his driver was injured.
Investigators said Pandit subsequently asked Kunal to arrange the shooters’ escape. Radha and Babita left Mumbai for Delhi on October 18 and were apprehended at New Delhi railway station on October 20. Kunal and Sumit were arrested in Sonipat. Maharashtra Police’s Crime Investigation Department subsequently obtained court permission to formally arrest the four and secured three days’ transit remand.
Bahraich shooters in Siddique murder
Two alleged shooters in the October 12, 2024, murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique — Shiv Kumar Gautam and Dharmaraj Kashyap — were from Bahraich district. Another accused, Gurmail Singh, was from Haryana. Investigators also examined allegations that a scrap dealer from Bahraich had supplied pistols to the shooters.
The Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for Siddique’s murder, bringing the alleged role of UP-based shooters and arms suppliers under scrutiny in a high-profile interstate crime investigation.
Lucknow, Gorakhpur arms cases
In November 2024, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Lucknow resident Prince Kailash Vishwakarma and his alleged associate Sajjan Kumar alias Deepak, who was from Bahraich, in a separate firearms supply case. Both were arrested in Maharashtra with two pistols each. Maharashtra Police suspected links between the alleged supply network and criminal operations in Mumbai, including those associated with the Bishnoi gang. A direct connection with Siddique’s shooters was not established.
In September 2025, the STF arrested five alleged members of an illegal arms network in Gorakhpur, recovering four .32-bore pistols, a revolver and five live cartridges. Investigators alleged that the network sourced weapons from Madhya Pradesh and Haryana for distribution across eastern UP. The case also involved scrutiny of alleged links between key accused and gangsters Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara.
Whether the latest case shares any operational links with the earlier firearms networks remains under investigation.