Tiger Shroff firing: How secret weapon delivery and a phone call exposed the shooters’ escape route

The investigation into the October 18 firing at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu has revealed an alleged network involving a U.S.-based handler, weapons transported from Punjab to Mumbai, suspected reconnaissance of the actor’s movements and an elaborate escape route through Gujarat.Three suspects who allegedly carried out the attack were arrested at Kota railway station in Rajasthan the next day. A day later, four more individuals were arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell for their alleged involvement in procuring and transporting the firearm used in the attack and coordinating with the suspected mastermind, Anil Pandit.According to investigators, Pandit coordinated the operation through an encrypted messaging application, issuing instructions to different individuals involved in the preparations.How was the attack planned?According to reports citing police sources, the attack was preceded by nearly a month of planning and reconnaissance, during which the assailants tracked Mr. Shroff’s movements, particularly his Sunday visits to the Pushpa Narsee football ground in Juhu.Investigators suspected that the attackers had initially planned to target him on October 11, a week before the shooting. CCTV footage and call records reportedly placed the suspects near the football ground that day. However, the plan was abandoned when Mr. Shroff failed to turn up.The motorcycle used in the attack was procured in advance as well. According to reports, Hrithik Kumar alias Roshan, one of the three suspects subsequently arrested in Kota, purchased a Pulsar motorcycle for approximately ₹25,000 on September 11.The motorcycle had changed hands several times, but its ownership documents had not been transferred. Investigators later traced its ownership history through a resident of Jogeshwari and two subsequent buyers.How was the weapon transported to Mumbai?A press note issued by the Delhi Police Special Cell on October 20 provided details of a weapons procurement and delivery operation involving four additional accused.According to the Special Cell, Kunal, 21, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana who had recently been released from jail on bail, was introduced to Anil Pandit by a friend from Harsana village.Kunal began communicating with Pandit through an encrypted messaging application and, acting on his instructions, travelled to Amritsar to collect a pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition. He was accompanied by Sumit, 19, another resident of Sonipat.Police claimed that Kunal later persuaded Radha, 23, with whom he had developed a relationship after meeting her around two months earlier, to travel to Mumbai with the weapon.On October 15, Kunal accompanied Radha and another woman, Babita, 23, to New Delhi Railway Station. The pistol was allegedly concealed in Radha’s bag.During their journey, Kunal remained in contact with Pandit through the encrypted application and relayed his instructions to the women.The two women reached Dadar railway station on October 17 and checked into a hotel. Around 11 a.m., a minor boy seemingly collected the bag containing the weapon from Radha near the hotel.Investigators are examining how the firearm was subsequently delivered to those who carried out the shooting.What happened on the day of shooting?According to reports, the three suspected attackers reached the Pushpa Narsee football ground around 4.30 p.m. on October 18 and waited for Mr. Shroff to finish playing.CCTV footage reportedly showed them repeatedly approaching the entrance and checking whether the actor was present.Around 7 p.m., as Mr. Shroff’s BMW emerged from the ground, two gunmen allegedly opened fire towards the vehicle, while a third accomplice waited nearby with the motorcycle.According to Mumbai Police DCP (Detection) Raj Tilak Roshan, the attackers fired five to six rounds at the car. Reports also suggested that one of the firearms malfunctioned during the attack.Mr. Shroff reportedly sustained injuries to his chest and right hand, while his driver, Firdous Ibrahim Baloch, suffered a gunshot injury to his left wrist and a fracture to his right ring finger. A pedestrian was also injured in the attack.Following the shooting, the assailants fled on the motorcycle towards Andheri West railway station, where they abandoned the vehicle.According to the Delhi Police Special Cell, Pandit contacted Kunal after the shooting, informing him that the shooters were stranded in Mumbai, and allegedly instructed him to arrange their escape.Police have not established publicly whether Kunal directly facilitated the route eventually taken by the suspects.On the same day, Radha and Babita left Mumbai for Delhi aboard the Dadar-Haridwar Express.How did the shooters escape Mumbai?According to reports, after abandoning their motorcycle near Andheri West railway station, the three suspected attackers boarded a suburban local train towards Borivali.They then arranged an app-based cab to Surat in Gujarat, apparently attempting to evade police surveillance by changing modes of transport and keeping their mobile phones switched off.The cab driver reportedly dropped the suspects near the Surat bus stand, where they waited before deciding to travel by train. They later reached Surat railway station and boarded the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express.According to Kota Police, the suspects allegedly intended to travel towards Delhi and eventually escape to Nepal.How did a phone call help police track them?The breakthrough came after one of the suspects briefly switched on his mobile phone near Borivali railway station to contact the cab driver who had been booked to take them to Surat.According to reports citing investigating officers, police had already identified the suspects through CCTV footage and technical surveillance and obtained a mobile number linked to one of them.However, the phone had remained switched off following the attack.When the booked cab failed to locate the suspects, one of them allegedly called the driver to explain their location. Although the phone was switched off again immediately afterwards, the call provided investigators with a crucial lead.Police reportedly traced the cab driver, who confirmed that he had transported three passengers from Borivali to Surat and dropped them near the bus stand.Investigators subsequently examined CCTV footage around the drop-off point and traced the suspects to Surat railway station.Further surveillance helped identify the train they had boarded and the compartment in which they were travelling.Mumbai Police then alerted their Rajasthan counterparts, providing descriptions of the suspects and details of their expected arrival at Kota.How were the three suspects arrested in Kota?On the morning of October 19, DCP Roshan reportedly contacted Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam and informed her that the suspects were travelling aboard the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express.With the train expected to reach Kota around 10.30 a.m., Rajasthan Police mobilised teams from Kota City Police, the Anti-Gangster Task Force and railway security units.Police personnel were deployed around the platforms and station exits. When the train arrived, officers searched the coaches and apprehended the three suspects in an operation that reportedly lasted around 15 minutes.The accused were identified as Phool Singh, 18, and Rehan alias Sukka, 18, both residents of Sonipat in Haryana, and Hrithik Kumar alias Roshan, 22, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and residing in Andheri West.Although one suspect initially provided a date of birth suggesting he was almost 18, DCP Roshan clarified that none of the three accused were minors.Two suspects allegedly carried out the firing, while the third is suspected of arranging the motorcycle used in the attack. No firearms were recovered from them at the time of their arrest.The three were produced before a judge in Kota and granted 48-hour transit remand to Mumbai Police. After undergoing medical examinations at MBS Hospital, they were handed over to the Mumbai Police team.Four more accused arrested for aiding planOn October 20, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four additional suspects allegedly linked to the planning and logistics of the attack.They were identified as Kunal, 21, and Sumit, 19, both from Sonipat in Haryana; Radha, 23, from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh; and Babita, 23, from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.According to the Special Cell, Radha and Babita were apprehended at New Delhi Railway Station, while Kunal and Sumit were traced to Sonipat.The four were produced before a court by the Delhi Police Special Cell under Section 35(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.Officials of Maharashtra Police’s CID subsequently sought permission to interrogate and formally arrest them. The court allowed the application and granted the Mumbai Police team three days’ transit remand.The arrests have widened the investigation beyond the suspected shooters to include the alleged procurement of weapons, their transportation into Mumbai and the involvement of individuals acting on instructions from a handler.Who is suspected of orchestrating the attack?Investigators are examining the alleged role of Anil Pandit, described in reports as a U.S.-based gangster, who is suspected of directing the operation through encrypted communications.According to Kota Police inputs, Pandit allegedly contacted Rehan to execute the firing, following which Rehan recruited another participant from Sonipat.The Delhi Police Special Cell’s findings have also placed Pandit at the centre of the alleged weapons procurement operation, with Kunal accused of acting on his instructions.A purported audio message and social-media posts claiming responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang have surfaced. However, police have not independently established the authenticity of these claims or confirmed the gang’s involvement.The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell is investigating the case, with investigators now working to establish the complete chain of command, trace the weapons, examine financial transactions, and determine the motive behind the attack.While seven accused have been arrested, questions remain over the identities of other alleged facilitators, including the minor who reportedly collected the weapon on October 17, and whether the entire operation was directed from abroad.