The mother of one of the three accused arrested in connection with the firing at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai has claimed that her son was lured and trapped into committing the alleged crime.
The three accused, including Rehan from Haryana’s Sonipat and Ritik alias Roshan from Bihar’s Begusarai, were arrested from a train in Kota, Rajasthan, on Monday, a day after the firing incident in Mumbai’s Juhu area. Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured.
Rehan’s mother, Shamshida, told reporters on Tuesday that someone arrived at their house in a vehicle a few days ago and took her son away. She said she had not been in contact with him for 20 days and that his mobile phone had been switched off.
“I suspect he was given some intoxicant and taken along,” she said, adding that Rehan had been learning welding in Gurugram after a youth from Bihar promised him training and good pay.
Shamshida said she did not know the person who had taken her son but believed he had been trapped and pressured into wrongdoing. She urged Rehan not to come under anyone’s influence again, saying, “What you have done is not right.”
Rehan’s father, Raisuddin, had earlier told reporters that his son, a Class 9 dropout, had been living with his mother in Devdu village for nearly 10 years. He also said Rehan had been arrested in a case registered under the Arms Act a few months ago and was out on bail. Raisuddin blamed his son’s friend circle for his alleged involvement in that case.
The Mumbai Police has taken custody of all three suspects after a local court in Kota granted a 48-hour transit remand. Kota Additional Superintendent of Police Subhash Chandra Mishra said the accused were handed over to the Mumbai Police after being produced before the court. They remained in Kota overnight because the police team was exhausted after travelling and for security reasons, he said.
Mishra added that Kota Police would provide security to the Mumbai Police team as required. The suspects are expected to be taken to Mumbai for further interrogation as investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the firing and their alleged roles in the incident.
Earlier, Mumbai Police reportedly used an alternative strategy, dubbed 'Plan B', to secure the three suspects. They were kept at the Railway Colony police station overnight.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar met Shroff and enquired about his well-being following the firing in Juhu. Sharing photographs of the meeting, Shelar said, “Such acts of violence have no place in our society,” and wished the actor strength and a speedy recovery.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)