The shocking midnight assault on ace director Rohit Shetty’s Mumbai home has exposed a sophisticated criminal web stretching across Maharashtra. On January 31, as the city slept, gunfire shattered the quiet of Juhu, targeting Shetty Tower in a calculated hit that left police scrambling.
Eyewitness accounts and surveillance videos paint a vivid picture: a lone figure on a scooter, clad in dark jacket and light trousers, fired five rounds from a pistol before fleeing. Shetty, inside his residence, heard the commotion but remained safe. Guards and patrolling officers arrived swiftly, securing evidence including bullet casings and broken glass.
Mumbai Police’s elite units uncovered the scooter’s Pune origins, recovered discarded in Vile Parle. Five arrests followed, all Pune locals, with seizures of firearms, ammo, an air gun, and devices used for covert planning via Signal app—messages hastily erased afterward.
At the center is fugitive Shubham Lonkar, the alleged architect who arranged logistics, arms, and payment. His associate Asaram Fasle, nabbed on February 5, provided weapons traced back to another suspect’s home. The shooter and Lonkar evade capture amid a massive manhunt.
Originally under Juhu jurisdiction, the probe shifted to Anti-Extortion specialists amid theories of ransom motives or industry grudges. This incident underscores rising threats to Bollywood elites, prompting calls for enhanced security. Police assure more arrests soon, vowing to uproot the network fueling such audacious crimes.