Mumbai: The three men accused of firing at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu had initially planned to attack a different well-known film personality, the Mumbai Crime Branch has indicated during preliminary questioning. Investigators said the alleged shooters abandoned that plan after finding the celebrity’s security too difficult to breach, ANI reported.
“Tiger Shroff was not the shooters’ original target. The three shooters were targeting a prominent Bollywood celebrity. However, the celebrity’s security was so tight that the shooters were unable to target them,” the Crime Branch said.
“Later, the shooters decided to target Tiger Shroff, believing he would be an easier target, and opened fire at him instead,” it added.
Police have not named the celebrity allegedly chosen first, nor disclosed how investigators established the claimed change of plan.
Three Shooters In Custody
The development came as Mumbai Police secured custody of the three suspects detained in Rajasthan’s Kota. A local court allowed the Maharashtra Police a 48-hour transit remand, enabling investigators to shift the accused to Mumbai for detailed interrogation.
The suspects were lodged overnight at Kota’s Railway Colony police station under an alternative security arrangement, described in reports as “Plan B”.
Officials said the original plan to move the accused overnight was revised, with the team deciding to keep them in Kota before transporting them to Mumbai.
The firing took place at around 7 pm on Sunday as Shroff was leaving a football club in Juhu. The assailants allegedly targeted his vehicle, but the actor escaped a direct gunshot injury. His driver, however, was hurt in the attack.
Police said the three suspects were caught while travelling on a train. They face charges under Sections 109(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act.
Four More Arrests In Delhi
In a parallel breakthrough, the Delhi Police Special Cell’s Northern Range arrested four more people — two men and two women — allegedly linked to a weapon-supply module connected to the attack. The accused were identified as Kunal, 21, and Sumit, 19, from Haryana’s Sonipat district, and Radha, 23, and Babita, 23, from Uttar Pradesh.
Radha and Babita were held at New Delhi Railway Station, while Kunal and Sumit were apprehended in Sonipat, according to a senior police officer. Investigators suspect the four supplied firearms to the shooters and may have helped shelter them.
The four were initially produced before a court under Section 35(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Mumbai Police subsequently sought permission for custodial interrogation and formal arrest, following which the court granted a three-day transit remand for their transfer to Mumbai.
Further investigation is underway into the alleged roles of all the accused, their links with each other, and the broader conspiracy behind the firing.