Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Thursday sent all 11 people arrested in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff's car to police custody till November 6. It was the first time the Mumbai Police sought their remand after invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.
The court had earlier allowed the police to re-arrest all 11 accused under the stringent law. The crime branch is investigating the case.
The firing took place in Juhu. With MCOCA in play, the rules on custody and bail tighten considerably: the law is invoked only with the sanction of the Director General of Police, and once it applies, bail becomes far harder to obtain.
A senior police officer said the investigation is focused on establishing that the offence was carried out in the manner of organised crime, which is why the police want a longer period of interrogation.
At an earlier hearing, the police told the court that the probe was ongoing and that more people could be found involved. On Thursday, the prosecution filed its remand application. Lawyers for the accused opposed it; the court allowed the police's request.
Officers said the accused's mobile phone records and financial transactions are also being examined.
MCOCA was enacted in 1999 for organised-crime cases. A confession recorded before a special judge is admissible as evidence under the Act, and at the bail stage the court must be satisfied that there are grounds to believe the accused is not guilty — which is why custody is hard to exit once it applies.
No charge sheet has been filed yet. The accusations against the 11 have not been established in court, and the next hearing follows the expiry of the remand on November 6.