New Delhi: Police investigating the shooting at the actor, Tiger Shroff, have recovered two pistols and 10 live cartridges from Surat and arrested a 22-year-old engineering student in Indore, taking the number of arrests to 11. Investigators are examining the suspected weapons-supply network behind the October 18 attack in Mumbai’s Juhu, which left the actor’s driver and a vlogger with gunshot injuries.
The latest suspect, Pranjal Thakran, is from Haryana’s Sonipat and was traced to Indore, where he had travelled to visit his brother undergoing treatment. According to media reports, his name emerged during questioning of other accused and through technical evidence, although police said his precise role remained under investigation.
A joint operation by the Mumbai and Indore crime branches led to his arrest, after which a magistrate granted three days’ transit remand for his transfer to Mumbai. Investigators suspect he was in contact with one of the alleged shooters and are examining whether he helped supply a firearm or provided other assistance.
The recovered weapons comprise a Turkish-made Zigana pistol and a country-made pistol, which investigators believe the attackers discarded in Surat while escaping from Mumbai. Police took arrested suspects to identify the location and recovered the firearms and ammunition from an area near the railway station.
Ballistic examination is expected to establish whether the pistols match cartridge cases recovered from the shooting scene. That comparison will help investigators determine whether the seized weapons were used in the attack, alongside evidence gathered through questioning and the reconstruction of the suspects’ movements.
Investigators are also examining reports that the Zigana pistol jammed during the shooting, with two live cartridges falling out without being fired. The Free Press Journal reported, citing sources, that the other alleged gunman fired from the country-made pistol.
The attack occurred at around 7pm near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu as Shroff was leaving after playing football. Two men allegedly approached his BMW and opened fire before escaping on a motorcycle with a third person, while fans and others were gathered nearby.
Shroff escaped gunshot wounds, although earlier accounts described minor injuries caused by broken glass and gunpowder. As RNA Media’s subsequent coverage explained, that distinction qualified the initial reports that he had emerged entirely unhurt.
His driver, Firdaus Ibrahim Baloch, sustained a bullet injury to his left forearm and was taken to Nanavati Hospital after Shroff took the wheel. Baloch, who has worked with the family for 28 years, was subsequently reported stable and out of danger, and police recorded his statement at the hospital.
The second person shot was Umesh Chauhan, a 35-year-old vlogger who had gone to film the actor near the football ground. A municipal health update issued on October 21 said doctors at KEM Hospital had surgically removed the bullet and that his vital parameters were stable, with postoperative monitoring continuing.
The investigation has extended across several states since three alleged members of the shooting team were intercepted aboard a Jaipur-bound train at Kota in Rajasthan. As RNA Media reported, subsequent arrests included people suspected of arranging a pistol and transporting it to Mumbai.
Police are examining the alleged involvement of Anil Pandit, described in reports as an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and communications that purportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. Investigators have also explored whether another Bollywood personality was the original target, but the motive and responsibility for commissioning the shooting remain matters under investigation.
On Sunday, an NDTV report, citing sources, said Shroff remained deeply shaken and had not yet given his formal statement to investigators. Police had, however, recorded the statements of Baloch and Chauhan as they continued piecing together the attack and its aftermath.