Three men arrested in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai have been remanded to police custody until October 31 after the Crime Branch told an Esplanade court that the weapons used in the attack were still missing.
The accused — Rehan R and Phool Singh, both from Sonipat in Haryana, and Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and currently living in Mumbai — were produced before the magistrate on Wednesday after being brought from Kota in Rajasthan. The Mumbai Police had sought 14 days of custody.
Police told the court that the weapons had not yet been recovered and that the accused had destroyed two mobile phones. Investigators said custody was required to establish the alleged conspiracy and motive behind the attack. The case is being investigated by the Crime Branch.
The defence opposed the request, arguing that the accused had already been questioned extensively. Defence lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi said the men had been questioned overnight in Kota after their arrest and again during the 16-hour journey to Mumbai. They argued that further custody was not necessary for recovering the weapons.
The three men were picked up by Kota city police from a train on Monday after Mumbai Police provided specific information. They were subsequently handed over to the Mumbai team, which formally arrested them and produced them before a magistrate in Kota. The Kota court granted transit remand to enable their transfer to Mumbai.
The firing took place in Juhu on Sunday evening. Police said at least two men fired five to six rounds at Shroff’s car before fleeing on a motorcycle. Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. The motorcycle allegedly used by the shooters was later found abandoned in Andheri.
The incident has been registered as a case of attempt to murder and under provisions of the Arms Act. The latest custody order allows investigators to continue questioning the accused and pursue the recovery of the alleged weapons as the investigation proceeds until October 31.
