A chilling prelude to violence: Mumbai police disclosures in the Rohit Shetty firing case expose how Lawrence Bishnoi gang operatives surveilled the director’s Juhu bungalow for days using the very scooter deployed in the assault.
The attack saw a gunman fire five shots outside Shetty’s residence, fleeing on the scooter to Vile Parle station. There, he abandoned it and escaped by train, evading initial capture.
Digging deeper, officers found the scooter bought in Pune for Rs 30,000 from Anand Marote by Aditya Gaikwad, 12 days prior. The transaction was bankrolled by suspected ringleader Shubham Lonkar.
Accomplices Siddharth Yenpure and Swapnil Sakat, directed by Samarth Pomaji, first tried ferrying it to Lonavala. Foiled, they rerouted to Mumbai a week before the hit, passing it to the shooter with bonus cash. They admitted awareness of illicit intent but ignorance of Shetty as the mark.
Pomaji’s pivotal role shines through constant Signal communications with Lonkar, where he finalized logistics, scooter arrangements via Gaikwad, and the firing blueprint. Four arrests mark progress: Gaikwad, Yenpure, Pomaji, Sakat. Lonkar remains at large.
As Bollywood reels from this close call, the probe highlights sophisticated gang tactics blending street crime with digital secrecy. Expect tighter security and further busts as Mumbai Police closes in.