Tiger Shroff firing case: Police probe handler’s live updates to shooters

• Investigators suspect the shooters received updates on police movements and television coverage through their handler.

• A call to a cab driver reportedly helped police trace three suspects, who were arrested from a train in Kota.

• Ten people have been arrested; the motive remains unconfirmed, and Tiger Shroff’s formal statement is yet to be recorded.

Investigators probing the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car suspect the shooters received regular updates from their handler about police efforts to track them, including information drawn from television news coverage, according to police sources.

The accused allegedly maintained contact with their handler through calls and messages during and after the 18 October attack. Investigators are examining whether these exchanges helped them change their routes and means of transport as the search intensified.

Sources said one of the accused, Rehan Rahimuddin Ansari, received instructions to leave the area after television channels broadcast footage of the shooting and images showing the suspects. Some of those visuals had been captured by vloggers.

Police suspect someone was following the coverage and relaying relevant details to the fugitives. The identity of that person has yet to be established.

Investigators are examining whether Anil Pandit, believed to be in the United States, or Ankit Khattak and Sameer Khatri, recently arrested in Sonipat, directed Rehan through internet-based communication applications, police sources said.

Photographs, videos and conversation records have reportedly been recovered from the accused. Investigators suspect the group used information about police movements to revise its escape plans.

After the firing, the three alleged shooters fled on motorcycles before using trains and cabs to travel between locations. Their reliance on internet-based calls complicated efforts to trace their communications, sources said.

A conventional phone call between one suspect and a cab driver reportedly provided a crucial lead. Following information supplied by Mumbai Police, the three were arrested from a train in Kota, Rajasthan.

Ten people have been arrested in connection with the case so far. The three alleged shooters — Phool Singh, 18, Rehan Rahimuddin Ansari, 18, and Hrithik Mahato, 22 — remain in police custody until 31 October.

The Crime Branch is also investigating the role of Randeep Malik, described by sources as an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Investigators suspect Malik introduced Rehan to Pandit and may also have facilitated contact between Pandit and another accused, Kunal.

Those who allegedly carried out reconnaissance in Mumbai are suspected of sending Pandit and Malik photographs of places associated with Shroff. These included a football ground used by the actor and locations in Juhu and Bandra, sources said.

Investigators have also learnt of alleged discussions about testing the firearm before the attack. Hrithik reportedly suggested the forested stretches of Aarey Colony, an area he knew through his work as a Rapido rider in Mumbai.

During questioning, the accused reportedly claimed that Shroff’s praise for Salman Khan at an event was among the reasons for targeting him. Police are examining that account and have not conclusively established a motive.

Shroff, meanwhile, reportedly told officers during preliminary discussions that he was shocked by the attack and could not understand why his car had been targeted. He said he had no personal enmity with anyone and did not know the attackers, according to an officer.

His formal statement has yet to be recorded. A Crime Branch officer said the actor had been distressed following the incident and investigators expected to record his account soon.

With IANS inputs