The Mumbai Crime Branch has recovered two firearms and 10 live cartridges from Surat in Gujarat in connection with the October 18 firing on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Juhu. The recovery was made on Friday, October 23 as investigators continued to trace the source and supply chain of the weapons allegedly used in the attack. The development comes alongside the arrest of three more accused, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 10. The Crime Branch is probing the alleged role of an interstate network in arranging illegal firearms and ammunition, conducting reconnaissance and facilitating the shooting.
3 More Accused Arrested
The three newly arrested accused have been identified as Ankit alias Sarpanch Rajesh Khatak, 18, Sameer Hasan Khatri, 19, and Jatin Krishan Panchal, 27. All three are residents of Haryana. They were produced before a magistrate’s court on October 22 and remanded to police custody until October 28, according to the information provided. Cops suspect that the accused helped arrange firearms and ammunition for the shooters and coordinated with previously arrested persons and other wanted suspects. Police are now examining the recovered weapons and cartridges as part of their efforts to establish their possible connection with the firing incident.
Police Investigate Reconnaissance & Alleged Conspiracy
According to the investigation, Ankit had allegedly travelled to Mumbai to conduct reconnaissance of the intended targets and participated in planning the attack. The Crime Branch is also probing whether the three accused were in direct contact with alleged key conspirator Anil Pandit. Police have invoked Sections 61(2) and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to criminal conspiracy and organised crime, respectively, along with Section 27 of the Arms Act. The provisions have been added as investigators probe the alleged involvement of an organised criminal network and the interstate movement of illegal weapons. The Crime Branch is seeking custodial interrogation to establish who arranged the firearms, where the weapons and ammunition originated, who ordered the attack and what roles the arrested and wanted accused allegedly played. Cops are also examining whether the network supplied weapons for other offences and whether additional individuals were involved in the operation.
