Three suspects have been held in Rajasthan’s Kota in connection with the firing at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai, with the accused allegedly receiving ₹50,000 collectively for the attack, police said.
The three were detained at Kota railway station on Monday while travelling on the Pune-Jaipur Express in a general compartment. They were allegedly planning to reach Delhi before fleeing to Nepal, Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said.
The accused have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka, from Sonipat in Haryana; Hritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai; and a minor from Haryana.
Gautam said police received information on Monday morning that the three primary suspects were travelling by train and were expected to arrive in Kota.
“Acting on this information, our team, within just 15 minutes, set a trap and thoroughly searched the entire train,” she said.
The Kota City Police apprehended all three suspects, who will be handed over to Mumbai Police for further investigation.
Anil Pandit was in contact with Rehan
{{/usCountry}}The Kota City Police apprehended all three suspects, who will be handed over to Mumbai Police for further investigation.
Anil Pandit was in contact with Rehan
{{/usCountry}}Preliminary questioning has revealed a possible link between one of the accused and gangster Anil Pandit, who is allegedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“Based on preliminary questioning, we got to know that Anil Pandit had been in contact with Rehan. Anil Pandit is linked to Lawrence Bishnoi,” Gautam said.
She added that the accused were travelling on the Pune-Jaipur Express and planned to reach Delhi before fleeing to Nepal.
The weapons allegedly used in the shooting have not yet been recovered.
“Weapons have not been found yet. However, they will be interrogated to determine what they did with the weapons, and appropriate legal action will follow,” Gautam said.
Police are questioning the suspects to establish their individual roles in the attack and determine the whereabouts of the weapons. A police source had earlier said the three suspects had collectively received ₹50,000 for carrying out the task.
Deep Dive
Why were three people detained in Kota in connection with the shooting at Tiger Shroff's car?
What evidence have Mumbai Police recovered in the Tiger Shroff shooting investigation?
Has Mumbai Police confirmed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the shooting at Tiger Shroff's car?
Bike used in attack recovered
Mumbai Police have also recovered the two-wheeler allegedly used by the assailants during the shooting. The motorcycle was found abandoned near Andheri railway station, police sources said.
Investigators traced the vehicle by examining CCTV footage from the scene, which led them towards DN Nagar in Andheri West. The footage allegedly showed the assailants heading towards the railway station after abandoning the motorcycle.
Police suspect that the accused boarded a train to escape from Mumbai. Mumbai Police alerted Kota police about their suspected movements, following which the three were apprehended at the railway station and handed over to Rajasthan Police.
Five rounds fired at Tiger Shroff’s car
The shooting took place around 7 pm on Sunday, when Shroff was leaving Pushpa Park in Mumbai’s Juhu area in his car. The actor was seated in the front passenger seat when three assailants allegedly fired five rounds at the vehicle.
Shroff escaped serious injury, while his driver and another person were injured in the incident.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has reportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting. Two alleged gang operatives, Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu, claimed responsibility in social media posts.