Rs 50,000 in advance and Instagram surveillance: behind the attack on Tiger Shroff
Photo: Collected
Interrogation has revealed that Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was not the assailants’ main target in the shooting aimed at him in Mumbai. Citing sources connected to the investigation, NDTV reported that the assailants had come to Mumbai intending to kill another influential person; having failed to reach that person, they later made Tiger Shroff their target. The case has taken a new turn as a result.
Sources connected to the investigation said that Hrithik alias Roshan, 22, of Bihar and Rehan and Phool Singh, both 18, of Haryana opened fire on Tiger Shroff’s car in the Juhu area of Mumbai on the evening of 18 October. The actor was returning in his own car after playing football; it was then that the attackers fired several shots.
Sources claimed that the three accused said during interrogation that they had initially been following another influential person; realising that it would not be possible to get within reach of that person, they changed their target. Watching social media reels posted by fans, they realised that Tiger Shroff had no police security. They then gathered information about his movements by keeping watch on the Instagram accounts of the actor and his fans.
Sources connected to the investigation said the plot to kill Tiger Shroff was intended to spread panic in Bollywood. Seven shots were fired at the actor’s car; although there were plans to fire more, this was not possible because a fault developed in one firearm. Tiger Shroff and his driver were injured in the incident, but they were able to get away from the scene in the car.
Threats over links with Salman Khan
A few hours after the shooting, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack. In an audio message that was released, a man named Anil Pandit introduced himself as being like a younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi and claimed that Tiger Shroff had been warned earlier but had not taken heed.
That audio message also threatened to kill those who disobeyed instructions not to work with or maintain relations with Salman Khan. It is not clear, however, how far the investigation has established a link between this claim and the real motive for the attack.
Sources claimed that the accused had been given Rs 50,000 in advance to carry out the attack. They had also been promised more money and jobs abroad once the job was done. After firing the shots, they informed their handlers that the operation had been completed.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde went to Tiger Shroff’s home on Monday and met him. Assuring that stern steps would be taken against such terrorist activities, he said that no one would be allowed to throw their weight around in Mumbai.
Background
The three accused were caught the day after the incident. According to Brut India’s report of 19 October 2026, they were arrested in Kota, Rajasthan, in a joint operation by the Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force and Kota city police, with Mumbai police assisting by providing information.
That report also said the messages claiming responsibility for the attack had come in the names of Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu; the claims could not be verified, however, and police did not confirm any link with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
According to Brut India, the Bishnoi group’s feud with Bollywood has its roots in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case; in April 2024 there was also a shooting outside Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
Sources
Background sources: Brut India, 19 October 2026, Ajker Patrika
