MUMBAI: Six more accused have been arrested in connection with the firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s house on Monday. The individuals were apprehended from Rajasthan and are being brought to Mumbai, the Mumbai Crime Branch said, according to news agency ANI. “A total of 11 people have been arrested so far,” officials added.Earlier, the five accused were produced before a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Wednesday. The Mumbai Police have invoked sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), suspecting an organised crime network is behind the attack. The court remanded all five accused to police custody until February 17. Following the invocation of MCOCA, defence advocate Ajinkya Mirgal said, “MCOCA has been added today…They( police) said in the court that the weapon recovered from accused number one, Sakat, was given to him by Praveen Lonkar, who is involved in the Baba Siddique murder case and has been in jail for one and a half years. We stated that he has been in jail for a year and a half. When and how did he get the weapon? This possibility seems a little doubtful to us.” The arrests follow the February 1 incident when Mumbai Police apprehended four individuals shortly after assailants fired four rounds outside Shetty’s residence. They were sent to police custody. The fifth accused was arrested on February 5 and produced before the court along with the others. After the hearing, the judge remanded them to police custody until February 11, 2026, citing the seriousness of the offence and the criminal conspiracy. The court also noted the need for a detailed investigation and joint interrogation and ordered custody of the five accused. During the hearing, police informed the court that a social media post had claimed responsibility for the incident. Police said the accused communicated via the Signal app to maintain secrecy and are seeking additional deleted chats with Shubham Lonkar. They requested maximum custody for the four individuals previously arrested and a 10-day custody for the fifth accused, Asaram Fasle alias Babu. The Mumbai Crime Branch’s investigation revealed that the accused weapon supplier, Asaram Fasle, had been working as a garage mechanic for the Bishnoi gang for the past four years. He joined the gang under the influence of Shubham Lonkar, alleged to be the mastermind behind both the Baba Siddique murder case and the Rohit Shetty firing incident, police said. The Crime Branch claims that Fasle, on Lonkar’s instructions, handed over weapons to Swapnil Sakat, which were later used by the unidentified shooter in the firing. For the first accused, his lawyer argued that he was not present at the scene during the incident and was arrested on circumstantial evidence. He also stated that there is no established link between the accused and Shubham Lonkar.
