Mumbai Police recovers weapon used in firing at Rohit Shetty's house, sent to forensics team for further investigation

An investigation was launched after multiple assailants fired four rounds outside the Mumbai residence of Rohit Shetty on February 1.

Four rounds were fired outside the Juhu residence of Bollywood filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s house in the early hours of February 1, prompting a major security alert in Mumbai. An investigation was launched, and Mumbai police invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused. They also arrested the suspected shooter who fired gunshots at filmmaker Rohit Shetty's house and six others from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a multi-state operation.

The Mumbai Police has been able to trace the weapon used in the Rohit Shetty's house firing incident. (Sunil Khandare)

What Mumbai Police said

Now, in the latest update from news agency PTI, an official from the Mumbai Police has confirmed that the crime branch has recovered the weapon used in firing at filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence here from the shooter.

The weapon used in firing gunshots has been recovered from the shooter and was sent to a forensic science laboratory for a ballistic test to confirm its use in the crime," an official said. The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the crime branch so far arrested 12 accused, including shooter Deepak Sharma, in connection with the incident.

According to the investigators, the crime was carried out with the intent to cause harm to the filmmaker and to instil fear and supremacy. Earlier, the crime branch had arrested Aditya Gayaki (19), Siddharth Yenpure (20), Samarth Pomaji (18), Swapnil Sakat (23) and Asaram Fasale, who had allegedly provided a scooter and other logistic support and weapons to the shooter. The five accused arrested in the firing case outside Rohit’s home were produced at the MCOCA court on Tuesday after their police custody had expired. The five who were produced in court were arrested in Pune. Swapnil told the court that the police coerced his statement and made him sign it.

More details

At least five rounds were fired at the first floor of Shetty's nine-storey building in the Juhu area at 12.45 am on February 1. One bullet struck the glass of a gym inside the building. An official said that Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar had taken responsibility for the firing.

On February 11, the Mumbai police invoked sections of MCOCA as they suspect an organised crime network is behind the attack. “They (police) said in the court that the weapon recovered from accused number one, Sakat, was given to him by Praveen Lonkar, who is involved in the Baba Siddique murder case and has been in jail for one and a half years. We stated that he has been in jail for a year and a half. When and how did he get the weapon?” said defence lawyer Ajinkya Mirgal.

Meanwhile, the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) has strongly condemned the firing incident and wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to intervene. Similar incidents have been reported in the past, including multiple cases of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai, for which the Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility in several instances.

(With inputs from PTI)