Mumbai To Kota To Delhi, Finally Nepal. Tiger Shroff's Shooters' Escape Plan

A Rapido driver, a labourer, and a minor are among the accused who opened fire at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff's car as the actor was leaving a football club in Mumbai's Juhu area on Sunday night, police said. The accused were intercepted in Rajasthan's Kota, while they were on a train and headed to Delhi, police said, adding, they wanted to flee to Nepal.

The three accused received Rs 50,000 collectively as advance to carry out the attack, according to police sources. Investigators are questioning the accused to establish their individual roles and determine whether all three were directly involved in the shooting.

The 36-year-old actor, wearing a muscle tee and seated in the front, was waving at his fans throught the rolled up car windows, when the shots rang out. A man in front, holding up a gun supported by both hands, fired at the car, showed a video. Another man, wearing a cap, was seen firing from the side. A man on a bike was stationed right there and the three then fled on it, the video showed.

The attackers seen firing at actor Tiger Shroff's car in Mumbai
Photo Credit: A video grab

They attackers reportedly abandoned their motorcycle near Andheri West railway station before boarding a train towards Borivali.

The actor, son of the '80s star Jackie Shroff, escaped unhurt but his driver and another driver of an autorickshaw were injured in the incident, police said.

"We covered the exit points, platforms and various other locations to apprehend the accused. It was the Pune-Jaipur Express. We received the information around 9:45 am. The Mumbai Police have arrived, and we will hand the accused over to them. Based on preliminary questioning, one of the accused is a Rapido rider. The other two, one of whom is a minor and the other, Rehan, work as labourers in Sonipat. Preliminary questioning revealed that they intended to travel to Delhi by this train and then escape to Nepal from there," Kota Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam told reporters.

The messages and locations among the accused were being continuously shared through the Signal and Telegram apps, sources said. The police are yet to recover the firing weapon from the accused, who were travelling in a general comaprtment when they were caught.

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Superintendent of Police (SP) Tejaswini Gautam addresses a press conference after suspects were arrested in connection with firing on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff's car.
Photo Credit: PTI

"This morning, we received information, prompting us to activate our team. We learned that the three primary suspects involved in the firing were travelling by train and were due to arrive in Kota. Acting on this information, our team, within just 15 minutes, set a trap and thoroughly searched the entire train. Through this swift action by the Kota City Police, we have apprehended all three suspects responsible for the firing," officer Tejaswani Gautam said.

"The names of these three individuals are: Rehan, alias Sukka, from Sonipat, Haryana; Hritik Kurmi, alias Roshan, from Begusarai, Bihar, who had been residing in Mumbai, Maharashtra, for the past few years; and one minor. We have detained all three, and we will now hand them over to the Mumbai Police," the officer said.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a viral social media post, but police are yet to verify its authenticity.

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who visited the actor late on Sunday night, said "bullets would be answered with bullets" and warned that the government would not tolerate gang wars in Mumbai. Shinde said the actor had suffered injuries to his left hand from gunpowder and glass fragments.

Eknath Shinde, right, during a meeting with Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff after unidentified assailants fired at the actor's car on Sunday.
Photo Credit: PTI

Shroff debuted with the film Heropanti in 2014 and cemented his status as an action hero with blockbusters like Baaghi, Baaghi 2, and the YRF Spy Universe hit War.