3 Men Who Fired At Tiger Shroff Arrested In Kota. They Fled Mumbai On Train

Three shooters allegedly involved in the assassination attempt on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff have been caught at Rajasthan's Kota railway station while travelling by train.

Two of the accused are from Haryana and one is from Maharashtra. All three are said to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Two of the three accused were allegedly hired assailants, while the third is suspected of helping them escape after the attack. 

The accused have been identified as 17-year-old Phool Singh from Sonipat, Haryana; 22-year-old Hritik Kumar alias Roshan from Begusarai, Bihar, who currently lives in Andheri West, Mumbai, and works as a Rapido rider; and 18-year-old Rehan from Sonipat, Haryana.

A joint team of the Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Kota City Police nabbed the three shooters based on information provided by Mumbai Police. The accused were caught while travelling on the Pune-Jaipur Express.

Earlier, the first images of the shooters had emerged as Mumbai Police intensified their search for the accused.

One of the close-up images showed two men standing together, with one of them wearing a black cap.

According to news agency ANI, investigating agencies suspect that the attack was carried out by trained shooters who had conducted a recce of the actor's movements before carrying out the attack.

Sources said the assailants had planned the attack after monitoring Tiger Shroff's weekly routine. They knew that the actor regularly visited the Juhu football ground on Sundays and tracked his movements to time the attack as he was leaving the venue in his car.

After the firing, the shooters allegedly followed a pre-planned escape route along SV Road through Vile Parle and Andheri.

They abandoned their motorcycle near Andheri West railway station and boarded a train towards Borivali.

Preliminary intelligence indicated that the suspects later crossed the Maharashtra border and entered neighbouring Gujarat in an attempt to evade law enforcement, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has warned that gang violence will not be tolerated in Mumbai, saying those behind the firing on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff would face a strong response.

Shinde visited Shroff at his residence in Mumbai's Bandra area late Sunday night following the firing. He checked on the 36-year-old actor's health, spoke to his concerned family and assured them that adequate security would be provided.

The firing took place in Mumbai's Juhu area on Sunday evening when unidentified assailants targeted Shroff's car. The actor escaped without injuries, while his driver and another person were injured.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack through a social media post that has gone viral. However, police have not yet verified the authenticity of the claim.

"No One Will Be Spared": Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis On Assassination Attempt On Tiger Shroff

After meeting Shroff, Shinde told reporters that criminal networks needed to be uprooted again, referring to action taken against gangs during the 1990s.

"Their roots were dug up in the 1990s when gang wars had flourished. The time has come to uproot them in the same way again," he said.

Responding to a question about the firing on Shroff's car, Shinde warned that such attacks would be met with a forceful response.

"It will be tit for tat, bullets for bullets," he said.