Photo: Wikimedia Commons (see file page for photographer), via Wikimedia Commons.
A special MCOCA court in Mumbai has remanded all eleven accused in the actor Tiger Shroff firing case to police custody until November 6, according to Bar and Bench and Press Trust of India reporting carried by Filmibeat on October 29.
The accused were produced before Special Judge Satyanarayan Navandar on Thursday, October 29, after being re-arrested under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The Mumbai Police Crime Branch had sought ten days of custodial interrogation to probe a wider syndicate conspiracy, according to Bar and Bench.
The case stems from the evening of October 18, when two alleged shooters opened fire at Shroff's car as he was leaving a football ground in Juhu. According to Filmibeat's PTI report, two shooters fired five rounds at the car. The 36-year-old actor escaped largely unhurt, while his car driver and a bystander, a vlogger, were injured.
The invocation of MCOCA was sanctioned by the court on October 28 after the prosecution cited the criminal antecedents of six of the accused, according to Bar and Bench. The prosecution also cited financial motives and an alleged bid to establish gang dominance. Police named wanted operative Anil Pandit, suspected to be affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate, as a wanted accused; Pandit had claimed responsibility for the assault through social media and audio messages, according to the prosecution.
Police further submitted that three shooters admitted during interrogation that the October 18 attack was their third attempt on Pandit's directives, having twice before tried to execute their plan, according to Bar and Bench. Live Law adds that the shooters had earlier conducted reconnaissance of other Bollywood celebrities before focusing on Shroff and tracking his movements for nearly ten days.
Under MCOCA, a court can grant bail only if it is satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is not guilty, and police get up to 180 days, instead of 90 under ordinary criminal law, to file a chargesheet, according to Filmibeat. Custodial interrogation is now underway to trace illicit financial trails and determine the broader motive. The accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and the next court date, November 6, is the next fixed point in a case that has moved from a street shooting to an organised-crime investigation.