Mumbai:
The Mumbai Crime Branch has detained a man, Pranjal Thakral, from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore in connection with the firing on actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu, taking the number of people arrested or detained in the case to 11, officials said. Investigators said Thakral provided the second pistol to a shooter involved in the incident and has direct ties with the mastermind Anil Pandit.
The detention comes days after the police said all those arrested in the case, 10 at the time, would be charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). According to police sources, investigators have begun gathering evidence and completing the documentation needed to invoke the Act.
On the evening of October 18, at least two men fired at the 36-year-old actor’s car in Juhu before fleeing on a motorcycle. According to the Mumbai Police, five to six rounds were fired. The motorcycle allegedly used by the shooters was later found abandoned in Andheri.
Shroff escaped unhurt, while his driver was injured, as was a bystander.
The case was transferred from the Juhu Police to the Mumbai Crime Branch, whose Anti-Extortion Cell is investigating it.
Anil Pandit, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the attack. The three alleged shooters were arrested in Rajasthan’s Kota while attempting to escape to Nepal via Delhi. Two women are among those arrested earlier for allegedly supplying weapons to the shooters.
Police sources said the gang had initially wanted to target another high-profile personality but changed plans because of heavy security. “After checking out areas frequented by this individual, the shooters realised that they would not be able to get to the person. This was when they shifted their target to Tiger Shroff after learning, through reels posted by his fans, that the actor did not have police protection,” a source said.
On Tuesday, Shroff’s team warned against the circulation of fabricated stories, unauthorised statements and AI-generated videos falsely attributed to the actor, and urged media organisations and social media platforms to verify information before publishing it.
