Rohit Shetty firing plot planned 4 months in advance, scooter involved was funded by foreign handler

Rohit Shetty

• Five arrested in Rohit Shetty firing case, planned months in advance
• Key accused Shubham Lonkar operated from abroad, sent money for scooter purchase
• Shooter remains unidentified; police tracing movements via CCTV footage

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The firing incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Mumbai was carefully planned at least four months in advance, Mumbai Police said after arresting five people in connection with the case.

Investigators revealed that the scooter used during the firing was bought months ago in Pune using money allegedly sent by Shubham Lonkar, who has now been named as a key accused.

According to the police, the scooter was purchased around four months ago from a man named Aman Marote, who lives in Karve Nagar on the outskirts of Pune. Officers said it is still unclear whether Marote knew that the vehicle would later be used for a crime. The police are currently examining his role in the case.

Crime Branch teams are continuing their search for the main shooter, who is still unidentified. CCTV footage from the area shows the shooter fleeing the scene after the firing and later abandoning the scooter in Mumbai’s Vile Parle area. Police said the footage is helping them trace the shooter’s movements after the incident.

Investigators said two of the arrested accused were in regular contact with Shubham Lonkar, who is suspected to be operating from outside India. An officer said Lonkar communicated with them frequently through the Signal messaging app.

“Lonkar asked them to arrange a bike and sent money directly to their bank accounts. Two of the accused then brought the scooter to Mumbai and handed it over to the shooter, whose identity is still unknown,” the officer was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

Police believe the case follows the typical style of the Bishnoi gang, where different people work in separate groups and do not know each other fully. Those involved in arranging the scooter have told investigators that they were not aware of who the shooter was or what exact role he would play.

Police officials said CCTV footage shows the shooter riding the scooter to Vile Parle and parking it near the railway station. He is then seen walking towards the station, but by then, the last train had already left. “That is the last time he appears on camera. We are now trying to find out where he went from there,” an officer said.

The arrested accused were produced before a court late on Sunday night and were remanded to police custody until February 5. Shubham Lonkar has also been named as a wanted accused in the case.

An officer said that with both Bishnoi brothers currently in jail, Lonkar appears to be handling the gang’s operations from abroad, with help from aides Aarzoo Bishnoi, Hari Boxer, and Goldy Dhillon. Police have been searching for Lonkar since the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, in which he was also named as a wanted accused.