The Mumbai Crime Branch informed a magistrate court on Saturday that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang targeted actor Tiger Shroff over his public praise for superstar Salman Khan. Prosecutors disclosed the startling motive while seeking extended police custody of the arrested shooters and weapon couriers. Three motorcycle-borne gunmen had fired seven rounds at Shroff’s car in suburban Juhu on October 18.
During custodial interrogation, the primary shooter revealed that gang handlers ordered the attack to punish Shroff for admiring Salman Khan. According to police remand submissions reported by The Times of India, an old interview clip from 2022 recently resurfaced on social media platforms. In that video, Shroff had lauded Khan’s stardom and described him as the undisputed lion of Bollywood. Therefore, overseas syndicate bosses ordered a strike to warn film celebrities against associating with Khan.
Campaign of Intimidation and Extortion Across Bollywood
Investigators told the court that the gang has waged a sustained campaign of terror against anyone linked to Salman Khan. The syndicate holds a decades-old grudge against Khan stemming from the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan.
Gang operatives previously fired outside Khan’s Bandra residence and claimed responsibility for the murder of politician Baba Siddique. As detailed by NewsBytes, police prosecutors argued that the attack on Shroff aimed to instill widespread fear across the Mumbai film industry. Furthermore, detectives stated that the gang uses high-profile shootings to establish underworld dominance and run lucrative extortion rackets. Consequently, the magistrate extended the custodial remand of the accused until October 28 to probe the wider financial conspiracy.
Overseas Handlers Provided Real-Time Tracking Updates
The Crime Branch also presented technical evidence showing how international handlers coordinated the Juhu ambush in real time. Prosecutors revealed that a fugitive gangster named Anil Pandit directed the shooters from an overseas location using encrypted applications.
Pandit provided the gunmen with minute-by-minute updates regarding Shroff’s movements at the Juhu football ground. According to investigative disclosures published by The Hindu, the accuracy of the tracking indicates that a local spotter monitored the actor on the ground. Meanwhile, investigators sealed a suburban hotel room where the shooters collected smuggled pistols dropped off by two female couriers from Delhi. As a result, cyber forensic experts are analyzing local cell tower dumps to identify the Mumbai informant.
Crime Branch Recovers Weapons From Surat Hideout
Following the Sunday evening shooting, the three assailants fled Mumbai and traveled across state borders into Gujarat and Rajasthan. Joint police teams intercepted and arrested the three gunmen in Kota, Rajasthan earlier this week.
Acting on interrogation leads, a Mumbai Crime Branch team raided a transit hideout in Surat, Gujarat on Saturday. As reported by The Hindu Crime Report, officers recovered two sophisticated pistols and ten live cartridges concealed by the fleeing suspects. Ballistic experts will match the seized weapons with the empty shells recovered outside the Juhu sports club. On the other hand, Mumbai Police have upgraded armed security cover around prominent film stars to prevent copycat gang attacks.
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