6 arrested from Rajasthan in Rohit Shetty firing case, total arrests rise to 11

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested six accused from Rajasthan in connection with the firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Juhu, taking the total number of arrests in the case to eleven. Four shots were fired outside the Bollywood filmmaker’s house on January 31. The newly arrested accused are being brought to Mumbai for further investigation.

Earlier, police invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against five accused already in custody, citing a larger organised crime conspiracy behind the attack. The five were produced before a Special MCOCA Court, which remanded them to police custody till February 17 for detailed interrogation.

During court proceedings, the Crime Branch said the firing was not a random act but a planned attempt to spread fear in Mumbai. Police identified Shubham Lonkar as a key conspirator, alleging that he provided Rs 40,000 to the accused and remained in constant contact with them through the Signal messaging app. Investigators told the court that Lonkar instructed the accused that they had to “do something big in Mumbai.”

Police further alleged that Lonkar’s brother, Pravin Lonkar, who is currently lodged in jail in connection with another case, also played a role in the conspiracy by hiding three firearms. According to investigators, Shubham shared the locations of the weapons with accused Asaram Fasale and directed him to retrieve and hand them over to another accused, Swapnil Sakat. So far, one firearm has been recovered, while two remain missing.

Granting police custody, the Special MCOCA Court observed that the case could be “only the tip of the iceberg,” pointing to the possibility of a wider criminal network. An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Police Act and the Arms Act. Forensic teams recovered five empty cartridges from the spot, and CCTV footage showed the shooter fleeing on a scooter, later traced and seized from Vile Parle (West).