MUMBAI: The city crime branch is considering questioning gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati jail, as part of its probe into the firing at filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Juhu bungalow to ascertain the motive, even as it is still tracking down the shooter.Shetty told police he had got no prior threat from Bishnoi’s gang or his alleged gang member, Shubham Lonkar. Police are looking into whether Lonkar, who is absconding, acted without Bishnoi’s knowledge. “Lonkar, who is from Pune, recruited only locals for the attack. It appears he is trying to assert his presence in Bollywood in the absence of senior gangsters, possibly to revive or expand an extortion network,” said a senior police official.
Police said the four accomplices who were arrested within 12 hours of the firing—Swapnil Sakat (23), Siddharth Yenpure (20), Aditya Gaiki (19) and Samarth Pomaji (18)—provided logistical support and acted on Lonkar’s directions. One of them is a collegian, while the others are unemployed. A fifth accused, Aman Marote (27) from Pune, has been served a notice. Police are looking for a sixth suspect who has been identified. Those in custody claimed they were unaware of the others’ identities, including the shooter. Marote told police he sold a scooter to Gaiki for Rs 30,000 about a month ago. Gaiki and Pomaji allegedly rode it to Mumbai and left it at a predetermined spot in Juhu, from where the shooter picked it up, fired five rounds at Shetty’s residence, abandoned it 2km away, and fled. The probe shows the suspects came in contact with Lonkar on social media and he remotely coordinated the operation, including giving orders on procuring the scooter and its drop locations. “Our focus is now on tracing the shooter, whose arrest could clarify who assigned the contract and the precise motive,” an official said. A team is tracing the IP address that Lonkar used to log into a Facebook account and claim responsibility for the firing. The post was deleted in a day. Police said there are similarities between the post and those issued after the Salman Khan firing and minister Baba Siddique’s murder in 2024. Another team is also looking into the financial trail based on the payments made to the suspects for the scooter’s purchase and related expenses. (With inputs from V Narayan)
