Four arrested for firing outside Rohit Shetty’s Mumbai residence; STF links accused to Lawrence Bishnoi gang
The accused carried out the firing to intimidate members of the film industry as part of an extortion racket
PTC Web Desk: In a major breakthrough in the firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Mumbai, the Bahadurgarh Special Task Force (STF) of Jhajjar, Haryana, in coordination with the Mumbai Police, has arrested four accused allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Police officials said the accused carried out the firing to intimidate members of the film industry as part of an extortion racket. Three accused are from Agra and one from Noida.
The arrested men have been identified as Ritik Yadav (Agra district), Deepak (Noida), Sunny (Agra and Sonu (Agra). According to Bahadurgarh STF in-charge Inspector Rakesh Kumar, each of the accused currently faces one registered case.
The police said the four operated under instructions from the Bishnoi gang and allegedly targeted film personalities by firing at their residences to create fear and pressure them into paying protection money.
Earlier in the investigation, the Mumbai Police had arrested Asaram Fasale on February 5. Police sources revealed that Fasale had been working as a garage mechanic for the past four years and was associated with the Bishnoi gang. He allegedly supplied weapons under the direction of the gang’s alleged mastermind, Shubham Lonkar.
All accused have been booked under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 37(1) and 37(2) of the Maharashtra Police Act (MPA), and Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act.
The incident occurred around 12.45 am on January 31 outside Rohit Shetty’s residence in the Juhu area of Mumbai. According to the police, at least five rounds were fired. One of the bullets struck the glass of a gym constructed inside the residential building. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Soon after the firing, a purported screenshot of a Facebook post went viral on social media, claiming responsibility for the attack in the name of the Bishnoi gang. The post allegedly originated from an account linked to Shubham Lonkar and Arju Bishnoi. However, the authenticity of the screenshot has not been independently verified.
The message claimed that the attack was a “trailer” and warned that future bullets would not be fired outside but inside the house, directly targeting the filmmaker. It further issued a warning to Bollywood personalities, threatening severe consequences if they failed to comply with the gang’s demands. The post also referenced the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, stating that others could face a similar fate.
Investigators describe Shubham Lonkar as a key operative of the Bishnoi gang. He is also suspected to be the main conspirator in the October 2024 killing of Baba Siddique, a crime for which responsibility was allegedly claimed via social media.
Arju Bishnoi is believed to be an active member of the gang, reportedly managing online communications and issuing threats to amplify the group’s operations.