The Mumbai Police investigation into the Sunday evening attack on actor Tiger Shroff has revealed a coordinated operation involving advance payments, live remote guidance, promises of overseas work and a US-based handler. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch and Rajasthan Police arrested three suspects in Kota on Monday.
The police found 22-year-old Hrithik Kumar (also known as Hritik or Ritik) alias Roshan from Begusarai, Bihar, 18-year-old Rehan (alias Sukka or Ansari) from Sonipat, Haryana, and 18-year-old Phool Singh, also from Sonipat, in the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express at Kota Railway Station. The Mumbai Police transferred the three suspects from Rajasthan to Mumbai on Tuesday.
The Mumbai Police stayed overnight in Kota due to security concerns, said Additional SP Subhash Chandra Mishra.
According to preliminary questioning, the suspects left Mumbai on a motorcycle, left it in Andheri West after taking a local train, then took a taxi toward Surat. From there, they boarded an express train to Jaipur, planning to take a bus to Delhi and then travel to Nepal.
Investigators have identified US-based Anil Pandit, believed to be linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi network, as the main handler.
According to police sources, Rehan spoke to Pandit, who offered about Rs 34,000 for the job, along with other financial rewards and the chance to work or settle abroad. The group made an advance payment of Rs 2.5 lakh for the job, with an extra Ro Rs 10,000 sent daily for expenses.
The group stayed in a Mumbai hotel for about a month, using the time to gather information. They allegedly sent a short video of Shroff playing football, after which the handlers allegedly approved the attack. After the shooting, the accused allegedly sent a message to Pandit, “operation is complete.” Pandit and his team released their prepared statement and audio clip only after confirming with the media.
Pandit is suspected to have been in live contact through an app during the incident, directing the operation from California and possibly supplying the weapons.
On Tuesday, another suspect, Sameer, was arrested in Sonipat for helping the shooters connect with Pandit. The Mumbai Police are still reviewing financial records, phone data (two phones were found, one discarded), CCTV footage from the scene and escape routes, and the motorcycle’s purchase history. The Bihar suspect bought the bike earlier and worked as a Rapido rider in Andheri. The Haryana suspects have previous criminal records. Police have not yet recovered the weapons.
Investigators are now trying to determine the overseas handler’s exact role, whether a bigger network exists, and the full chain of command from recruitment to the Juhu attack, sources said.
On October 18, Sunday evening around 7 pm, several shots were fired at Shroff’s car as it left the Pushpa Park area in Juhu, also known as Jamnabai Nursery or Pushpa Narsee Park. Shroff, who was leaving after playing football, escaped the gunfire but suffered minor injuries from glass and debris. His driver and a passer-by were also hurt. Evidence from the scene showed that between five and seven rounds were fired from two guns. One gun seems to have jammed, and both live and spent rounds were found. The attackers arrived on a used Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle.