The investigation into the firing at actor Jai Hemant “Tiger” Shroff has revealed that the alleged shooters monitored his social media activity and surveyed a Juhu playground for about 10 days, according to sources associated with the investigation cited by the Times of India. Mumbai police are now examining whether the attack was part of a wider plan to spread fear in the film industry and have asked the crime branch to review security arrangements for several Bollywood personalities.
Police arrested Rehan Ansari, Phool Singh and Hrithik Roshan after identifying Roshan through mobile network dump data from the Juhu area where the firing took place, the report said. The three men were arrested aboard the Pune-Jaipur Express on Monday by Kota police. Ansari and Singh are from Sonipat in Haryana, while Roshan is from Andheri in Mumbai and is originally from Begusarai in Bihar.
Investigators allege that Roshan fired five rounds during the incident. The Forensic Science Laboratory has recovered seven bullets and sent them for ballistic examination. Police are yet to recover the two firearms allegedly used in the firing, according to the report.
The accused allegedly told Kota police that gangster Anil Pandit had promised them more money and a better future abroad after they completed the assignment and crossed into Nepal. Pandit has claimed responsibility for the attack, while police allege that he began planning it about two and a half months earlier. Investigators say three men were recruited and that Rs 37,000 was transferred to Ansari, who is 18.
The reported surveillance of the Juhu playground highlights how public spaces can become points of vulnerability when an individual’s predictable movements are combined with open digital information. Investigators say the accused followed social media posts, videos and reels shared by Shroff and his fans. They allegedly planned an attack on October 11, but the actor did not appear at the location that day.
Police are also examining whether the target change formed part of a larger plan involving the film industry. Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Rohit Shetty, Aamir Khan and Ayush Sharma are among the personalities reported to have received threats. The crime branch has been asked to prepare a category-wise list of possible targets and submit a security review, while police assess the protection arrangements of other Bollywood figures believed to be at risk.
The investigation has also connected two of the arrested men to an earlier case in Amritsar. A police officer cited in the report said Ansari and Singh were wanted in an attempt-to-murder case involving a businessman who escaped unharmed. Amritsar police are expected to seek their custody after the Mumbai crime branch completes its investigation.
Police sources allege that the Lawrence gang uses online platforms and local handlers to identify and recruit vulnerable young people, particularly teenagers from economically weaker families. Ansari reportedly studied until Class 9, later trained in welding in Gurugram and had been named in motorcycle theft and Arms Act cases in Sonipat. His mother, Shamshida, told the media that her son should be punished if found guilty, but that those who allegedly lured him into crime should also be held accountable.
The immediate investigative milestones are the ballistic examination of the recovered bullets, the recovery of the firearms and the crime branch’s security review of threatened film-industry personalities. The Mumbai police investigation will also determine the alleged roles of the arrested men and the wider network behind the attack.
