Crime Branch probe: Tiger Shroff firing accused also asked to trace Emraan Hashmi's home, police claim

Further startling claims have emerged in the investigation into the alleged firing on actor Tiger Shroff. According to the Mumbai Crime Branch's probe, the accused in the case were also asked to find the house of actor Emraan Hashmi. It is also being said that the areas around the homes of Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan were surveyed.

According to the claim, the alleged shooters involved in the October 18 firing targeting Tiger Shroff had been given the task of tracing Emraan Hashmi's house. The accused made enquiries in the area as well, but could not find the actor's home. The real purpose behind this alleged recce, and whether there was a plan to target other actors too, is a key question for the investigation.

It has been claimed that before the alleged attack on Tiger Shroff, the accused had looked at the areas around the homes of Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan. Salman Khan has faced threats linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in the past. Police are therefore said to be examining different possibilities in the probe into this alleged recce. An attempt to find Aamir Khan's house has also been mentioned, but he has moved to South Mumbai from the Bandra area where he earlier lived. For this reason, the accused did not find his house.

Four accused in the case, Radha Verma, Babita Rao, Kunal and Sumit, were produced on Monday before the Killa Court in Mumbai. The court extended their police custody till October 28. During the hearing, the Crime Branch placed information before the court on the accused's alleged contacts, the arrangement of the weapon and the planning of the attack. The focus is now on what other important leads the questioning yields.

According to the police claim, Kunal was in contact with Anil Pandit. Anil Pandit is suspected of having ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, but there is no independent confirmation that these ties have been established. Kunal allegedly gave the pistol to Radha Verma. Police allege that Radha Verma and Babita Rao then met alleged shooter Rehan Ansari at Dadar on October 17 and handed him the weapon. It is also claimed that the alleged shooters were instructed to return the pistol after the attack. The answers to where the weapon came from, who had possession of it and who ordered it to be fired are essential to the investigation.

The alleged recce, the handing over of the weapon and the claims about other actors' homes have put the security of Bollywood personalities back in the spotlight. Who exactly was involved in the case and what the intent behind the attack was will become clear only after the police investigation is complete. The details that have emerged so far are claims made in the investigation and should not be treated as facts proved in court.