Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell has arrested another accused from Pune, in connection with the firing incident that took place outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence. At least five rounds were fired at the first floor of the filmmakers' building at around 12.45 am on Sunday, of which one bullet struck the glass of a gym.
With this latest arrest, a total of five accused are now in police custody. Citing the Mumbai Police, IANS reported that all five arrested will be produced before the court today for remand. The four persons who were arrested in Pune were remanded in the Mumbai police's custody till February 5.
According to the Mumbai Police, currently, the main shooter who opened fire outside the filmmaker's residence is still absconding.
Earlier today, sources told FPJ that the Mumbai Crime Branch investigation found that the shooter allegedly linked to the Bishnoi gang used an advanced country-made firearm to open fire at Shetty’s house. Moreover, they also found clues which suggested that several other members of the Bishnoi gang were also present at the spot along with the main shooter.
Earlier during the interrogation of the four arrested accused, Swapnil Bandu Sakat (23), Siddharth Deepak Yenpure (19), Samarth Shivsharan Pomaji (19), and Aditya Gyaneshwar Gayaki (19), it was learned that all four have been childhood friends. Additionally, it was found that they were acquainted with the Pune-based accused arrested earlier in the Baba Siddique murder case, including Rupesh Mohol, Shivam Kohad, Karan Salve, Gaurav Apune, Aditya Gulankar, and Pravin Lonkar.
Speaking of the main accused, a CCTV footage was also circulated, which showed the alleged accused firing gunshots at Shetty's house. While speaking to news agency PTI, officials said that the suspect who fired was also spotted in CCTV cameras placed near the Vile Parle railway station as he was fleeing after committing the crime. Multiple teams of the Mumbai police's crime branch are working round-the-clock to arrest the shooter and his associates.
"While examining the CCTV footage in the Juhu and Vile Parle area, police spotted the shooter, riding a two-wheeler and later abandoning it near St Joseph Church Road in the Vile Parle area. He caught another vehicle, most probably an autorickshaw, which dropped him near Vile Parle railway station," the official said as quoted by PTI.
During an interaction with the filmmaker, Shetty told the police that he did not receive any threat from anybody, neither in the form of a message, voice note, calls, nor mail. However, after the firing incident, the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang had claimed responsibility for the shooting. In the social media post of Shubham Lonkar, which went viral, he wrote, "We warned him (Rohit Shetty) several times not to interfere in our work. When he failed to understand, this was just a small trailer. If he still does not understand, the next bullet will not be fired outside the house but inside the bedroom, aimed at his chest."
Meanwhile, the crime branch officials also found that Lonkar deleted his social media account after claiming responsibility for the attack. However, he clicked a photo of the post, made it viral on social media and also deleted the post later.
(With inputs from agencies)
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