Mumbai: The city crime branch on Wednesday arrested three more people in the case of firing at actor Tiger Shroff even as wanted criminal Shubham Lonkar of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has allegedly emerged as a key executor of the plot. The total number of persons arrested in the case has now touched 10, including two women.The police are also probing if the accused had conducted reconnaissance of other Bollywood celebrities’ homes or whether Shroff was the only target.Lonkar’s name cropped up first in the city in the Oct 2024 killing of former NCP minister Baba Siddique in which he was alleged to have assembled shooters, supplied weapons and arranged finance. Lonkar’s brother Praveen is in jail in the Siddique murder case and the firing at Salman Khan’s house in April 2024.Another key figure who has become the centre of the probe is Sameer, a garment shop owner from Sonipat, who coordinated with the shooters, police said. He was allegedly responsible for providing logistical support to the shooters. Police said that he stayed in Mumbai with the other accused and assisted them before returning from the city prior to the shooting.Preliminary ballistic reports have suggested the shooters used two country-made firearms which are yet to be recovered. The three accused shooters—Phool Singh (18), Rehan Ansari (18), and Rithik Mahtoo alias Roshan (22)—who were arrested from Kota were produced before the 37th Metropolitan Magistrate Court which remanded them to police custody till Oct 31.Police, while seeking police custody of the accused, told the court that the accused have destroyed the mobile phones used in connection with the crime, making the reconstruction of their communications through social media apps a key part of the investigation. Police are attempting to establish contact between the shooters and their alleged handlers through other digital evidence and their interrogation.The shooters had arrived in Mumbai on Sept 20, police said. “So far, investigation suggests the shooters and those who provided logistic support received around Rs 2 lakh, with which they bought a second-hand bike for Rs 25,000. Another Rs 37,000 was transferred in the account of Rehan Ansari. There were some more cash payments which are being ascertained,” said Raj Tilak Roshan, deputy commissioner of police. Investigators are also examining the payments made through UPI applications and cash.Ansari and Singh’s lawyer, Ajinkya Mirgal, argued that the police have already interrogated them in two days’ transit remand and they should be sent to judicial custody.According to the preliminary investigation, Anil Pandit allegedly contacted Sameer, who in turn allegedly contacted Ansari.Ansari is suspected of having brought together Phool Singh and Hrithik alias Roshan, the two accused alleged to have carried out the firing at Shroff.The five others, including two women, who have been arrested allegedly played roles in procuring, transporting and supplying weapons to the shooters and providing logistical support to the group. One of them, Radha, a bar dancer, was a friend of accused Kunal. The duo came to Mumbai along with Babita, another accused. While Kunal left Mumbai the same day, the two women stayed in an Andheri lodge, delivered the weapons, and left later. They are being brought to Mumbai and will be produced before a court on Thursday.
