Mumbai: Hindi film industry star Tiger Shroff had a narrow escape Sunday after three men on a motorcycle opened fire at his car in Mumbai’s Juhu area, leaving the actor’s driver injured, the police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone II, Mumbai, Mohit Garg, said three rounds were fired at the 36-year-old actor’s car after he was leaving a playground where he had gone for football practice.
The actor’s driver, who was injured in the incident, was rushed to Nanavati Hospital for treatment, the police said, adding that some others in the area, including an autorickshaw driver, were also hurt.
There was panic at the spot of the firing incident, with people running to take shelter after hearing the gunshots. The police cordoned off the crime scene and called in the forensic team for collecting evidence.
Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar spoke to Tiger’s family after the incident to inquire about his well-being.
Tiger’s father and actor Jackie Shroff later confirmed to media persons that his son was safe.
Within hours of the incident, a video clip was circulating on social media in which a man claiming to be Anil Pandit from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang took responsibility for the firing and claimed that it was a warning to the actor to stop working with superstar Salman Khan. The gang has an animosity with Khan due to his alleged involvement in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan.
The attack on Tiger invited condemnation from the film fraternity, with many calling it another reminder of the deep-rooted presence and interference of the underworld in the film industry.
The firing also revived memories of the 2024 murder of Baba Siddique, who was shot dead from close range by suspected members of the Bishnoi gang in Bandra East. The killing of the former Maharashtra legislator was also claimed by the gang, as it was unhappy with his close ties with Salman Khan.
Though there was no official confirmation of the involvement of the Bishnoi gang in the firing on Tiger Sunday, Lawrence Bishnoi, currently in a jail in Gujarat, is known to harbour animosity against Salman Khan due to the blackbuck poaching case.
The alleged killing of the blackbuck enraged the don’s Bishnoi community, which venerates the animal.