Shooters allegedly planned to target Aamir Khan before shifting to Tiger Shroff, a report has claimed. Police are probing the attack and the role of handlers.
The alleged shooters behind the October 18 firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff were initially instructed to target Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, The Indian Express reported, quoting police sources. The report mentioned the alleged attackers subsequently shifted their focus to Shroff after finding that Khan was difficult to approach.
According to the report, the alleged shooters stayed in Mumbai for nearly a month and conducted reconnaissance of the area where Khan lives, at least three times. However, they reportedly found that the actor was often away on film shoots or remained inside his house for days.
The target was subsequently shifted to Shroff, whom the alleged shooters found more accessible. According to the report, Shroff would turn up for football on most Sundays at a park in Juhu, where the attack took place on October 18.
Police sources were quoted as saying that the alleged plan to target Khan was “in line with” the threats he had received in July, allegedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The reported change in target has emerged as the Mumbai Police investigate the shooting at Shroff’s car, which left the actor relatively unhurt but injured his driver and a bystander.
SHOOTERS ALLEGEDLY RECEIVED REAL-TIME UPDATES FROM HANDLERS
In a separate development, police sources told news agency PTI that the three alleged shooters who fled after opening fire at Shroff’s car were receiving real-time updates about the police investigation through news channel coverage.
According to sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch, the alleged shooters were being informed about developments through encrypted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) messaging applications.
The information allegedly helped them change their escape routes as the investigation progressed.
At one point during their escape, when television channels aired visuals of the attack, one of the primary suspects allegedly received an urgent message, “Tumhare chehre aa gaye hain, nikal jao waha se” (Your faces are out, get out of there), police sources told PTI.
The three accused, Phool Singh (18), Rehan Rahisuddin Ansari (18) and Rithik Mahto (22), were apprehended by the Kota Police in Rajasthan on October 19 while travelling on a train. They were in police custody until October 31.