MUMBAI, India — The investigation into the firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence has taken a new turn, with the Mumbai Crime Branch confirming that the vehicle used in the attack was sourced from Pune.
According to investigators, the vehicle belonged to a man from Pune who sold it a few days ago to Aditya Gayki, one of the accused arrested in the case, for Rs 30,000. Police said Gayki, along with another accused, Samarth Pomaji, later abandoned the vehicle at a pre-decided location in Mumbai’s Juhu area.
Crime Branch officials said the individuals who purchased the vehicle and traveled to Mumbai were not aware of the identity of the shooter. Investigators believe that Shubham Lonkar later instructed the shooter to collect the vehicle from the spot where it had been left and carry out the firing.
Police said the case appears to follow a familiar pattern seen in earlier crimes, where multiple small groups are hired to execute different parts of an operation, while ensuring that one group has no knowledge of the others involved.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when five rounds were fired at Shetty’s residence in Juhu between approximately 12:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Footage obtained from the scene shows three bullet marks on the building. The residential complex has two gates and is covered by more than 10 CCTV cameras.
As part of the investigation, four to five teams from the Mumbai Crime Branch are reviewing footage from over 100 CCTV cameras in and around the area. Police are examining cameras installed outside the building and in neighboring locations to trace the escape route used by the attackers.
The suspects fled the scene immediately after the firing. Senior Mumbai Police officials and Crime Branch teams reached the location soon after the incident was reported and began the investigation. (Source: IANS)
