JAIPUR: Three people, including a minor, allegedly involved in the firing at actor Tiger Shroff were detained on Monday in Rajasthan’s Kota city from the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express, police said.
Kota Superintendent of Police (SP) Tejaswani Gautam said at a press conference that one of the accused was in touch with Anil Pandit, an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack in an unverified social media post.
The three suspects were picked up by Kota city police at the railway station in an operation that lasted around 15 minutes. Their plan was to flee to Nepal, police said.
Two of the accused have been identified as Ritik alias Roshan from Begusarai in Bihar and Rehan from Haryana’s Sonipat. The third accused is a minor, SP Gautam said.
Preliminary questioning revealed that Anil Pandit was in contact with Rehan, she said.
The accused were travelling on the Pune-Jaipur train that reached Kota station at 10.17 am. Mumbai police shared inputs with Gautam, who immediately alerted the district special team. She formed different teams. The train was searched thoroughly and the three accused were caught in the general coach of the train, police said.
Anti-Gangster Task Force and Railway Protection Force personnel also assisted in the operation. The accused were brought to the SP office, where primary questioning was done, Gautam said.
The suspects told police that they boarded the train after “executing the crime”. They were planning to take a bus from Jaipur to Delhi and then cross the border to reach Nepal, the SP said.
No weapon was recovered from the suspects, she said.
“A team from Mumbai Police has reached Kota and the suspects are being handed over to them,” she said.
The suspects are detained at the moment and will be arrested once Mumbai Police takes them into custody.
Gautam said she would recommend rewards for the police personnel involved in the operation.
Three assailants opened fire at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening. The actor escaped unhurt, while his driver and another person were injured. Police said three rounds were fired at the “War” actor.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack, according to social media. However, the authenticity of the video is yet to be ascertained.
A viral video showed an assailant firing at the actor’s car.
Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he had spoken to Shroff and assured him that the incident would be taken seriously.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Shroff at his residence in Mumbai’s Bandra late Sunday night, enquired about the 36-year-old actor’s health and reassured his family of full security.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Shroff, Shinde said the time had come to uproot criminal networks once again, referring to the crackdown on gangs in the 1990s.
“It will be tit for tat, bullets for bullets,” he said.
Mumbai Police registered a case of attempt to murder in connection with the incident and it was later transferred to the Crime Branch.
Born Jai Hemant Shroff on March 2, 1990, Shroff is one of Bollywood’s premier action stars and martial artists, holding a 5th-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
He debuted with the film “Heropanti” in 2014 and cemented his status as an action hero with films like “Baaghi”, “Baaghi 2” and the YRF Spy Universe hit “War”.
