A handgun jammed at the moment it mattered, and Mumbai police say that malfunction may have saved actor Tiger Shroff's life. Three motorcycle-borne assailants fired at his car near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu on Sunday evening; Shroff escaped without a gunshot injury.
Shroff, 36, was leaving the spot around 7 pm when the attackers opened fire at close range. The incident took place about 350 metres from Juhu police station. His driver, Firdaus, was hit in the left hand, and a bystander, Umesh Chauhan, 35, suffered a bullet injury to the chest. Both were admitted to hospital and reported stable. Shroff himself was treated for minor injuries from gunpowder residue and shards of broken glass, and he took the wheel to rush his injured driver to Nanavati Hospital.
Two of the assailants fired five to six rounds, police said, and one weapon jammed as the attack unfolded — a malfunction they believe averted graver harm. Two live bullets were recovered from the spot.
The Juhu police registered a case under Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) and Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act. Fifteen teams were formed to trace the accused, and the probe was later taken over by the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch.
Within about 15 hours, three suspects were detained in Rajasthan's Kota from the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express. Kota police identified them as Rehan alias Sukka of Sonipat, Haryana, and Hritik Kurmi alias Roshan of Begusarai, Bihar, along with a third person. Mumbai Police said none of the accused is a minor, putting their ages at 18 and 22. The motorcycle used in the attack was recovered near Andheri (West) railway station. No weapon has been found yet.
DCP Raj Tilak Roshan said there was no earlier complaint of any threat to Shroff and that the motive was not yet clear. Police are also verifying a social media post — purportedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in the names of Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu — that claimed responsibility for the attack and linked it to Shroff's association with Salman Khan.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Shroff and his mother, Ayesha Shroff, and said both were shaken. "No form of threat will be tolerated," he said. The three accused were sent to 48-hour transit remand.