Three suspected shooters who opened fire at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai have been arrested in Kota, Rajasthan, police said on Monday, a major breakthrough in the investigation into the attack.
The three suspects were detained at Kota railway station on Monday morning while travelling on the Pune-Jaipur Express, in a joint operation involving the Mumbai Police, the Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force and Kota City Police. Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said the team received information around 9:45 am and, within 15 minutes, set a trap and searched the entire train.
Police identified the accused as 18-year-old Rehan alias Sukka from Sonipat in Haryana, 22-year-old Hritik Kurmi alias Roshan from Begusarai in Bihar, and a 17-year-old minor from Haryana. According to police sources, the three allegedly received Rs 50,000 collectively for carrying out the attack.
Planned to flee to Nepal
Preliminary questioning revealed that the suspects planned to travel to Delhi before fleeing to Nepal, police said. They had fled towards Surat in Gujarat before boarding the interstate train to evade law enforcement. Mumbai Police shared real-time intelligence with Rajasthan Police, leading to the swift apprehension at Kota station.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “We have nabbed them from Rajasthan. They fled towards Surat and boarded a Pune-Jaipur Express train. Mumbai Police shared real-time intelligence with Rajasthan Police, leading to their swift apprehension at Kota station.”
Bishnoi gang link probed
The arrests came a day after three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Shroff’s vehicle in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening, October 18. The actor escaped unhurt, but his driver and an autorickshaw driver sustained gunshot injuries and were reported to be in stable condition.
Investigators are probing an alleged link to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Shortly after the shooting, a social media post attributed to alleged gang operatives Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu claimed responsibility for the attack. Police have not confirmed the authenticity of the claim. The weapon allegedly used in the shooting has not yet been recovered, and Mumbai Police have formed 15 teams to investigate.
