Shroff firing: Accused recce'd football ground for a month

Mumbai: The initial investigation into the firing incident targeting Tiger Shroff has indicated that the three accused conducted a recce of the Juhu ground where the actor regularly goes for football practice and spent over a month planning the attack, police sources said.

On September 11, accused Hrithik Kumar alias Roshan allegedly bought the motorcycle used in the crime for ₹25,000 in cash. The bike provided the first crucial lead in tracking down the accused.

"The previous bike owner was tracked. During his interrogation, he revealed that he was the fourth owner and that Hrithik had purchased the bike in cash in September," a police officer said.


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On Sunday, around 7 pm, Shroff was leaving the ground after football practice when the three accused - Phool Singh, Hrithik Kumar and Rehan Ansari - were waiting outside. Singh and Ansari opened fire, discharging five rounds. One of the pistols jammed during the shooting. Kumar, who was waiting on the motorcycle, fled with the other two.

Using CCTV footage, technical analysis and digital evidence, the police traced the suspects' escape route from Mumbai to Surat and then to Kota, where they were arrested.

According to police sources, the three first travelled by local train to Borivali, from where one of them booked a cab to Surat. They allegedly used one of their mobile phones to contact the driver after booking the vehicle. Kumar had been associated with Rapido, the mobility platform.

After reaching Surat, the accused allegedly planned to continue their journey by state transport bus. However, unable to determine their onward route, they hurried to Surat railway station and boarded a train heading towards Kota, sources added.

The three were subsequently apprehended at Kota railway station by the Anti-Gangster Task Force and Rajasthan Police. A team from the Mumbai Crime Branch, which had been tracking their movements, later reached Kota and took them into custody.

Police suspect that the accused were brought together by Shubham Lonkar, a wanted accused linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.