A dramatic twist has emerged in the investigation into the shooting targeting actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai, as the family of one of the arrested suspects has denied that the accused is their son, leaving his true identity under a cloud of doubt.
The Incident and Arrests
The shooting took place on a busy Sunday evening in Mumbai’s upscale Juhu neighborhood, with the shocking incident captured on video. Gunshots were fired at close range at Tiger Shroff’s car. While the 36-year-old actor escaped relatively unhurt, his driver and a bystander sustained injuries.
Following a swift manhunt, three individuals—including a juvenile—were nabbed from a train at the Kota station in Rajasthan a day after the attack. Kota Police identified two of the suspects as Ritik alias Roshan (22) from Begusarai, Bihar, and Rehan from Sonipat, Haryana.
Family Denies Involvement
Mumbai Police subsequently traced Ritik’s background, stating he hailed from Dumri village in Begusarai and was the son of local grocery store owner Ram Babu Mahto, having reportedly worked in Delhi and Mumbai over recent months.
However, when local police approached the family, Mahto’s wife firmly disputed the claims, stating that the photograph provided by authorities did not depict her son.
“I want police to take action against the guilty. But the photograph is not of my son. I have urged police to ascertain the identity of the person in the photograph and also trace my son, with whom we have lost contact for some time,” she told local media.
Begusarai SP Maneesh confirmed that local police are actively verifying the suspect’s antecedents in light of the family’s statement and ongoing inputs from Mumbai Police.
Bishnoi Gang Claims Responsibility
The attack has taken on a wider criminal dimension following a viral audio clip linked to Anil Pandit, a 32-year-old US-based gangster from Panipat and an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
In the audio, the speaker claims the attack on Tiger Shroff was carried out because the actor ignored warnings against working with superstar Salman Khan. The message also reiterated demands for an apology from Salman Khan over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, which remains a core grievance of the Bishnoi community.
