MUMBAI, Oct 19 (Agencies): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the Mumbai Police would track down those involved in the firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff and their handlers, asserting that such acts would not be tolerated.
The police have obtained important leads about the identification of the accused and will arrest them soon, Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
The accused were operating from outside Maharashtra, possibly from abroad, he said, adding that the police would coordinate with other states and seek assistance from central agencies to track them down.
“We will also track down their handlers, who hide elsewhere and send instructions from there,” the CM assured.
Unidentified assailants opened fire at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening. The actor escaped unhurt, while his driver and another person were injured.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a viral social media post, but police have yet to verify its authenticity.
The Mumbai Police have registered a case of attempt to murder against three unidentified persons in connection with the firing incident, and the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch, officials said.
Describing the perpetrators as cowards, Fadnavis said the police took every threat seriously and would ensure that those responsible were brought to justice.
“These are cowards who attempt to strike from hiding. Their attempts will be foiled, and they will not be spared,” he asserted.
People operating from Maharashtra in connection with such activities had already been arrested, while those operating from outside the state and abroad would be pursued through inter-agency coordination, he added.
The CM said he had spoken to Tiger Shroff and assured the actor that the incident had been taken seriously and that he would be provided security.
“I told him that we would identify and apprehend the accused and that he had no reason to worry,” Fadnavis said.
The chief minister also hit out at the Opposition over its criticism of the government’s handling of law and order, referring to the Mansukh Hiran murder case (linked to the bomb scare near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia in Mumbai in 2021) and alleged irregularities in police transfers and postings during the previous government.
“Have they forgotten how their ministers had to go to jail? Even the country’s biggest industrialist was not safe during their tenure as a bomb was planted outside his house,” he said.
The Mumbai Police is a professional force and enjoys the confidence of the public, including among members of the film industry, the CM added.