Kota/Mumbai: Three suspected assailants were arrested from a train at Kota Junction in Rajasthan on Monday, a day after they allegedly shot at actor Tiger Shroff’s car, injuring his driver and a vlogger. They had planned to escape to Nepal via Jaipur and Delhi.Police tracked the three—Phool Singh Naresh, Rehan Rahiussudin Ansari, both 18 and from Sonipat in Haryana, and Hrithik Kumar alias Roshan (22), who moved from Bihar’s Begusarai to Mumbai four years ago—to Andheri station, where they abandoned a bike bought a week earlier for Rs 25,000. Its ownership transfer was pending. “They took an aggregator cab to Surat station and boarded an unreserved coach of Pune-Jaipur Express,” said a Juhu police officer.Tejaswini Gautam, SP of Kota police, which made the arrests, said no firearm was recovered from the suspects.Mumbai police have provided additional security to Shroff, who has denied receiving any threat call.CM Devendra Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur and Sangli that his govt would track down the masterminds.Police are yet to establish whether the objective was to kill the actor, intimidate him or carry out the firing as part of an extortion attempt. It is suspected that the main operative, Anil Pandit of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, had recruited one of the three to target Shroff. Pandit allegedly promised to help the men secure jobs and settle abroad after the attack.While the custody of the three suspects has been handed over to Mumbai police, it has been decided that the team would not travel at night in view of security measures and would leave Kota after ensuring all safety arrangements, said a senior Kota police official. The three men have reportedly been lodged at a Kota police station with heavy security deployment.Both Ansari and Naresh face vehicle theft and Arms Act cases in Haryana, said Gautam. They arrived in Mumbai 10 days before the attack. Kumar, who had been working as a bike taxi rider in Mumbai, allegedly joined them and is suspected of having bought the getaway bike. The vehicle had been sold four times earlier before landing with him.The suspects allegedly conducted a reconnaissance before targeting Shroff’s car as he left a birthday celebration at a Juhu park. “Ansari and Kumar allegedly mingled with fans outside the venue and opened fire before fleeing on a bike,” said Gautam. Police suspect they chose Sunday to carry out the attack owing to relatively lighter traffic, potentially making it easier for them to escape.Preliminary findings indicate that Naresh allegedly fired five rounds from the front. Ansari reportedly could not fire because his weapon jammed. The make and origin of the firearms are yet to be established; investigators suspect that they were country-made.Police said the three men abandoned the bike near Andheri West railway station after fleeing, took an app-based cab to Surat and boarded a train headed for Jaipur. The Kota SP told TOI, “We had no idea which compartment they were travelling in. Our teams checked every coach and within 15 minutes, we were able to trace the accused who were sitting separately in the general coach.”Police are verifying the amount allegedly transferred to the accounts of the three alleged assailants and are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to reconstruct their movements before and after the attack. Investigators are also examining the recovery of a bag and a phone linked to the case, along with other material evidence.A dedicated cyber team is trying to piece together the sequence of events surrounding a threat message circulated on social media by an account identified as that of Pandit, which reportedly carried a photograph of gangster Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence’s cousin. It is being ascertained if it was issued before or after the attack and if it intended to claim responsibility for the attack, spread fear or further a criminal objective.According to preliminary findings, the shooters allegedly used encrypted messaging platform Signal and WhatsApp to communicate with their unidentified handlers. Investigators are analysing devices, digital records and communication patterns to identify the people who may have coordinated the attack.Fadnavis lauded police for acting swiftly by identifying the accused overnight and then tracking their movements. The CM, who also holds the home portfolio, said the masterminds were operating from outside Maharashtra and possibly abroad. “We will coordinate with other states and seek the Centre’s help. Everyone linked to this incident will be brought to justice. No one will be spared.”On the opposition’s demand for his resignation over the state of law and order, he quipped, “I think I have replied to this. I reply by taking firm action.”Shroff’s driver, Firdaus Ibrahim Baloch, who is being treated at Nanavati Hospital, told police that the actor drove him to hospital after the shooting. Police obtained a video that shows Shroff driving away with an injured Baloch.Juhu police have invoked charges for attempt to murder under BNS as well as relevant provisions of Arms Act.
