Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff escaped unhurt after three bike-borne assailants opened fire at him in Juhu on Sunday evening. Shroff’s driver and an autorickshaw driver received gunshot injuries and were both stable, and 15 teams have been formed to investigate the incident from various angles, police said.
Shortly after the incident, two alleged operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu, claimed responsibility for the attack via posts on various social media platforms.
“We had called and explained to him (Tiger Shroff) but he did not understand. So today, we explained to him rather well that whoever in the Mumbai film industry does not abide by what we say or work with Salman Khan are next in line. Wait and watch,” they said in the post in Hindi, which was accompanied by a voice message.
In April 2024, several rounds were fired at Salman Khan’s Bandra home allegedly by the Bishnoi gang, which has repeatedly targeted the actor over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan; the Bishnoi community holds the blackbuck sacred.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2024, several rounds were fired at Salman Khan’s Bandra home allegedly by the Bishnoi gang, which has repeatedly targeted the actor over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan; the Bishnoi community holds the blackbuck sacred.
{{/usCountry}}However, Shroff and Khan have not starred together in any full-length feature film yet, and no such film is under production.
Attack details and injured victims
Sunday’s attack occurred around 7pm near Pushpa Park in Juhu, close to the Jamnabai Narsee School, when Shroff was returning after playing football at a club, police said. An eye witness told the police that the actor was about to enter his BMW car when the firing took place.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media showed that of the bike-borne three assailants, a man in a white shirt and another man wearing a black cap alighted from the two-wheeler, fired at least five rounds at Shroff’s car, then fled from the spot on the bike.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mohit Kumar Garg said that while Shroff received minor abrasions, his driver Firdos sustained a gunshot injury on his left hand. Both were rushed to Nanavati Hospital, where doctors assessed their condition and provided necessary treatment. While Shroff was subsequently discharged, his driver was admitted as he may need surgery for the gunshot wound, hospital sources said.
Also read: Video captures Tiger Shroff escaping in car after assassination bid in Mumbai's Juhu
Autorickshaw driver Umesh Chavan, 35, who sustained a gunshot injury on his chest, was taken to Cooper Hospital. A spokesperson from the hospital said Chavan had a bullet entry wound “2 cm below his left nipple” and was admitted to the surgery department. His condition was stable, doctors said.
Upon receiving news of the incident, officers from Mumbai police rushed to the scene. They cordoned off the area, and ballistics experts were called in to gather the shell casings.
“We have formed 15 teams and launched a search for the assailants. The primary reason and motive behind the shooting are unclear and the probe underway will ascertain that,” a police officer said.
The police are examining footage from CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity of the crime spot, the officer added. Late in the evening, one person was detained from Santacruz in connection with the incident, though no details regarding his identity and role were available till the time of going to press.
Political reactions to the shooting
Speaking to reporters after the incident, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said he had spoken to the police commissioner, and the Mumbai Police would respond firmly to the firing incident and threats.
“I have also spoken to Tiger Shroff and assured him that there is no need to worry, as the government stands firmly with him. The Chief Minister has taken the incident very seriously. Those attempting to terrorise the city and disturb law and order will not be spared,” Shinde said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said, “This is not just an intelligence failure but a serious failure of this government. CM Fadnavis will come before the media shamelessly to say that they will investigate the incident. How does it matter when someone dies in a firing?”
NCP legislator Zeeshan Siddique, who lost father Baba Siddique in a similar firing incident in 2024, said, “Continued incidents of firing are taking Mumbai back 25 years, to a time when the city was terrorised by gangs. This is deeply unfortunate. I hope the Chief Minister will take strict action to curb such incidents. Mumbai is the country’s financial capital, and witnessing such violence is deeply distressing for people like us.”
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal accused the Mahayuti government of creating a “jungle raj” in Maharashtra.
“If actor Tiger Shroff can be targeted in a firing incident on a busy road in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, who will guarantee the safety of ordinary citizens? Law and order in the state have completely collapsed. Criminals no longer fear the law. Devendra Fadnavis has utterly failed in his responsibilities as Chief Minister and Home Minister...He must accept moral responsibility and resign immediately,” Sapkal said.
Earlier attacks and alleged gang members
The incident has caused a stir within the film industry, bringing back memories of recent attacks on prominent film personalities, allegedly by the Bishnoi gang.
Following the attack on Salman Khan’s home on April 14, 2024, on February 1 this year, unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire outside director Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence, though no one was injured. The Bishnoi gang later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier, on October 12, 2024, veteran politician and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East. Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the attack and was subsequently deported from the United States to India and named as an accused in the Siddique murder case.
Who are Anil Pandit, Harman Sandhu?
Both Sandhu and Pandit are alleged members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. They have come under the scanner of police and enforcement authorities in several states over claims of orchestrating attacks in Delhi and Punjab.
In June, after alleged members of the gang opened fire at a gym in west Delhi’s Pushkar Enclave, Pandit said in a social media post accompanied by a voice note that the firing was executed by “Anil Pandit USA and his associate Harman Sandhu” because of the gym owner’s alleged “growing closeness” with Salman Khan.
The same month, following the murder of a certain Kalla Gabba in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, a social media post purportedly issued by RD Dhaliwal, Harman Sandhu and Tyson Bishnoi, all alleged members of the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the attack. The post also contained fresh threats aimed at doctors and producers associated with the Punjabi entertainment industry.
Sources in the Mumbai police said that Sandhu was trying to rise up in ranks within the gang.
With inputs from Hepzi Anthony and Faisal Malik