The attack targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was allegedly planned to extort money, establish gang dominance and spread fear, according to the Mumbai Police investigation.
Investigators are probing the motive behind the attack, with a focus on the criminal network involved and its objectives. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander sustained injuries. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act for attempt to murder and other offences. Kunal, Sumit, Radha and Babita were produced before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Esplanade Court) S Khedkar after the end of their previous remand.
Meanwhile, a court in Mumbai on Monday extended till October 28 the police custody of four persons, including two women, who were arrested for allegedly aiding the shooters in the Tiger Shroff firing case. The four accused are Kunal (21) and Sumit (19), both residents of Haryana’s Sonipat district, and Radha (23) and Babita (23), both from Uttar Pradesh. They are among the 11 people arrested in the case so far.
Police are also examining the links between the accused and the larger criminal network in a bid to establish the roles played by those involved in planning and executing the attack. Investigators also informed the court that data recovered from their mobile phones is yet to be analysed. (With inputs from PTI)
The firing may have been intended to send a message, assert the gang’s influence and create an atmosphere of fear within the film industry as well as among the public, according to investigators. Seeking an extension of custody, police told the court that the four accused had full knowledge of the conspiracy and needed to be confronted with previously arrested co-accused.
The case is being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch, which is working to establish the conspiracy and determine the motive behind the incident. Further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Andheri.
At least two men had allegedly fired five to six rounds at Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on October 18 before fleeing on a motorcycle.
