Mumbai:
The accused arrested in the Tiger Shroff firing case have told cops that their stay in Mumbai involved surveilling the homes of Bollywood celebrities, including actor Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.
According to sources, the shooters disclosed during initial police questioning that the gang's primary and original target was Salman Khan. They had even conducted reconnaissance around his residence, Galaxy Apartments, but abandoned that plan upon observing the tight security there, sources said.
After finding it difficult to reach Salman Khan, the attackers conducted reconnaissance on the homes of other major stars, including Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Akshay Kumar.
Tiger Shroff, son of the '80s star Jackie Shroff, was waving at his fans through the rolled-up car windows, when two men opened fire at his car in Mumbai's Juhu area on the evening of October 18 before speeding away on a motorcycle. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured.
According to Mumbai Police, five to six rounds were fired at the car. Eleven people have been arrested so far from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.
Police have named gangster Anil Pandit, who had claimed responsibility for the firing on Tiger Shroff, as a wanted accused in the case. Pandit is an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang believed to be operating from the US. He had claimed responsibility for the attack on the actor in a social media post.
An investigation by Mumbai Police revealed that operatives from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang spent about a month in the vicinity of Aamir Khan's Bandra residence, conducting reconnaissance on three separate occasions prior to the shooting incident involving Tiger Shroff's vehicle.
Aamir Khan was frequently away for film shoots or would remain indoors for long periods, making it difficult for the attackers to reach him, sources have told NDTV.
It is believed that these habits and the fact that Aamir remained largely out of reach ultimately saved him.
An audio clip and a post, attributed to individuals named Arzoo Bishnoi and Tyson Bishnoi, surfaced on social media, claiming that Aamir Khan's third marriage to Gauri Spratt promotes 'love jihad' and is against 'Sanatan' culture, vowing to teach the actor a lesson.
The term 'love jihad' is not defined under any official Indian legislation or recognised by central agencies. The Home Ministry in 2020 had informed the Lok Sabha that there was nothing defined as 'love jihad' under current laws in the country. It is often raised to target Muslims alleging forced conversion on pretext of marriage.
Following reports of reconnaissance being conducted, the Mumbai Police are investigating the entire matter, including the viral audio clip.
The shooters altered their plan and attacked Tiger Shroff's car while he was on his way to play football in Juhu, choosing him because he was more accessible and lacked heavy security, sources said.
Through social media reels and Instagram, the attackers discovered that Tiger Shroff visits the Pushpa Narsee Ground in Juhu every Sunday to play football. Perceiving him as an easy target, they planned an attack on him, sources said.
According to the police, this conspiracy was hatched to instill fear within Bollywood and to target a major star.
(With inputs from Ruttik Ganakwar)