India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
The Mumbai Crime Branch has found that the gunmen involved in the October 18 firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff were first asked to locate actor Emraan Hashmi’s residence but failed to find his house, according to police officials.
Investigators said the accused had earlier conducted reconnaissance at the residences of actors Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. They were subsequently asked to gather information about Hashmi’s house but could not locate it despite making enquiries in the area.
Mumbai Crime Branch investigations reveal gunmen targeting Tiger Shroff on Oct 18 first failed to locate Emraan Hashmi’s residence, switching targets after learning Shroff’s football routine via social media; four accused were remanded until Oct 28, with 11 arrested overall.
After informing their handlers about the failed attempt, the accused allegedly turned their attention to Shroff. A police officer said they came across the actor’s reels on social media and learnt that he visited Pushpa Narsee ground in Juhu every Sunday to play football.
The information about Shroff’s regular visits allegedly influenced their decision to target him, the officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajtilak Roushan did not respond to messages seeking his comments on the investigation.
Four accused remanded in police custody
In a related development, a Mumbai court on Monday remanded four accused arrested from Sonipat in Haryana to police custody until October 28.
The accused, identified as Radha Verma, 21, Babita Rao, 21, Kunal Jaminsingh, 21, and Sumit Saroliya, 19, were produced before the Esplanade court. The police told the court that the four had allegedly supplied weapons to the shooters involved in the attack.
According to the investigators, Jaminsingh was in contact with Anil Pandit, an alleged operative of the Bishnoi gang who claimed responsibility for the firing incident.
The police alleged that Jaminsingh gave a pistol to Radha Verma. She and Babita Rao then allegedly met suspected shooter Rehan Ansari in Dadar on October 17 and handed him the weapon.
The shooters had been instructed to return the pistol after carrying out the attack, with the accused being told that it would be collected soon afterwards, the police informed the court.
Tiger Shroff escaped bullet injuries
Shroff escaped being hit by bullets during the October 18 incident. However, his driver and a blogger were injured after being struck by gunfire.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested 11 people so far in connection with the case. Investigators are continuing to probe the alleged roles of the accused and the circumstances surrounding the attack.
