Fresh police investigations into the assassination attempt on actor Tiger Shroff have exposed a sophisticated cross-state weapons syndicate linked to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The startling details emerged following the arrest of four key suspects by the Special Cell’s NDR team, peeling back layers of a conspiracy that relied on encrypted apps, “dead letter boxes,” and unwitting female factory workers turned couriers.
The Anatomy of an Ambush
The terrifying incident unfolded on Sunday evening in Juhu, Mumbai, where Tiger Shroff, son of veteran actor Jackie Shroff, had gone to play football. According to police sources, chaos erupted as the actor’s BMW car attempted to drive through a crowd of fans gathered at the venue gate.
Two assailants suddenly stepped forward, opening fire from the front and discharging 6 to 7 rounds in rapid succession. Witnesses revealed that one of the shooters managed to get dangerously close, aiming directly at the actor. In what can only be described as a miraculous stroke of luck, the attacker’s gun jammed right as he pulled the trigger, allowing Tiger Shroff to narrowly escape with his life. While the Bollywood star survived unhurt, his driver and another bystander sustained injuries in the hail of bullets.
The Amritsar ‘Dead Letter Box’ and Encrypted Conspiracies
As Mumbai and Maharashtra Police CID launched an intensive manhunt, a deep web of logistics and arms supply began to unravel. Investigators discovered that the weapons used in the attack were procured through a method known as a “dead letter box”—a covert tactic where contraband is left at a pre-arranged, unmanned location for operatives to retrieve.
The trail led to Amritsar, Punjab. Two of the accused, Kunal and Sumit, had travelled to Amritsar to collect a hidden cache of weapons from a precise spot designated in advance. Police revealed that Kunal, who was released from Sonipat jail in July, was introduced to a shadowy handler named Anil Pandit through a mutual friend. Operating entirely through encrypted messaging apps, Pandit orchestrated the operation.
Anil Pandit reportedly paid Kunal and Sumit between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 to execute the task. Unbeknownst to the duo, the weapons had been planted by unseen syndicate members.
Female Couriers and the Lawrence Bishnoi Connection
To bypass high-security checks during transit, the conspirators turned to an unconventional method: using female factory workers as mules.
Kunal enlisted his girlfriend, Radha, whom he had met roughly two months prior, to serve as a courier alongside her colleague Babita. Both Radha and Babita—residents of Uttar Pradesh who worked together at a Sonipat factory—travelled to Mumbai carrying the consignment. Upon arrival in Mumbai, they handed over the heavy stock of weapons to three local handlers of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Dadar.
Out of the total payout received from Anil Pandit, Kunal and Sumit had handed over Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 to Radha and Babita for their role in the transportation.
Legal Proceedings and Custody
Following a swift intelligence operation, the Special Cell’s NDR team apprehended all four suspects—Kunal, Sumit, Radha, and Babita. They were initially presented in court under Section 35(1)(b) of the BNSS.
Subsequently, the Maharashtra Police CID sought and received formal permission to interrogate the accused in custody. A local court has granted a three-day transit remand to the Mumbai Police, who are now probing deeper into the local handlers in Dadar, the broader network of Anil Pandit, and any other potential targets on the syndicate’s hit list.
As security around Bollywood celebrities undergoes a sharp review, authorities continue to piece together how a local prison release blossomed into a high-stakes, gang-backed assassination plot against one of India’s biggest action stars.