Mumbai:
The accused who arranged and transported the weapons that were used to target actor Tiger Shroff had instructions to return to Delhi with the guns after the attack.
The four accused — Sumit, Kunal, Radha and Babita, who were arrested in Delhi and Haryana last week — were sent to police custody until October 28 today.
According to police, the group was allegedly instructed to retrieve the pistol and remaining cartridges after the firing. Kunal, the man from Haryana who had allegedly procured the gun, was informed of this by his handlers. He passed on the message to his associates.
However, as the police probe picked up momentum owing to the high-profile nature of the case, they disposed of the weapons in Surat, Gujarat, and fled.
Investigators suspect the group planned to destroy the weapons in the national capital from where they were procured to throw the police off their trail.
Last week, Shroff had gone to play football in Juhu, Mumbai and was coming out of the compound in his BMW car when two attackers fired at the front portion of the vehicle. A bullet hit a man who was part of the crowd that had congregated to get a glimpse of the actor. Visuals from the spot showed that one of the attackers pointed towards the passenger seat, where the actor had been seated, and squeezed the trigger, but the gun jammed.
Shroff, the son of actor Jackie Shroff, escaped unhurt.
Anil Pandit, who claims to be part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has taken responsibility for the attack, declaring that anybody seen hobnobbing with actor Salman Khan would be targeted.
The authorities have arrested 11 accused in total so far who were allegedly part of the larger conspiracy.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has recovered crucial evidence from the mobile phones of the accused Kunal, Sumit, Radha and Babita. They found in the voice notes sent to each other that the weapons had to be disposed of.
According to the police, the accused were aware of the purpose for which the weapons were being delivered.
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Shroff Not The Original Target
Other accused have told the police that they had surveilled the houses of Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.
The primary target was Salman Khan.
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After finding it difficult to reach him, they shifted focus towards Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.
Ahead of the shooting, members of the Bishnoi gang conducted reconnaissance of Aamir Khan’s Bandra home thrice, indicating he could have been in their crosshairs.
According to sources, the fact that Aamir Khan mostly remains indoors and busy with work outside the city might have saved him.
Since they could not reach these actors, deemed Bollywood’s A-listers, the attackers improvised. They found that Shroff moves about the city without a security cover and interacts with fans often, making him an easier target.
