Indian police have arrested three suspects following a shooting targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai, as new investigative findings suggest the alleged attackers may have visited the location a week before the October 18, 2026, incident.
The suspects were apprehended in Kota, Rajasthan, on October 19 after investigators traced their movements across several cities. Shroff survived the attack, although his driver was wounded and another person was reportedly injured. A criminal network associated with Lawrence Bishnoi has claimed responsibility, but police have not conclusively established who ordered the shooting or why.
In a significant new development, investigators told The Indian Express on October 20 that surveillance footage and telephone records placed the three suspects near the same football ground on October 11. Officers suspect they had planned to attack Shroff that day but left when he did not appear.
What happened in the Tiger Shroff shooting?
The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, outside a football ground in Mumbai's Juhu area, where the 36-year-old actor had been playing football.
According to police accounts and the complaint filed by Shroff's driver, three men arrived on a motorcycle. Two allegedly approached the actor's BMW and opened fire as the vehicle left the ground, while the third waited on the motorcycle.
The incident attracted international attention, including BBC News coverage of the shooting, as investigators began searching for the assailants.
Shroff's driver, Firdous Ibrahim Baloch, sustained a gunshot injury to his left wrist and a fractured finger, according to details of the police complaint reported by The Indian Express. The complaint also described injuries to Shroff's chest and right hand, although he was not reported to have suffered a gunshot wound.
After the attack, Shroff reportedly moved into the driver's seat and drove himself and Baloch to Santacruz Police Station. They were subsequently taken to Nanavati Hospital.
Initial reports differed over the number of shots fired and the precise extent of the injuries. Those discrepancies should not be confused with the established fact that Shroff survived the shooting.
How police tracked down the three suspects
The arrests followed a coordinated investigation involving Mumbai Police and law enforcement agencies in other Indian states.
According to India Today's account of the police investigation, the suspects allegedly abandoned their motorcycle near Andheri West after the shooting, traveled by local train to Borivali and then took an app-based taxi to Surat in Gujarat.
From Surat, they reportedly boarded the Pune-Jaipur Express. Investigators used surveillance footage, technical analysis and information gathered during the pursuit to identify their movements and alert police in Rajasthan.
The three were apprehended at Kota railway station on October 19. Police said the suspects had allegedly intended to continue toward Delhi and possibly cross into Nepal.
Mumbai Police identified the suspects as individuals from Haryana and Bihar. Officers also clarified that none was a minor, contradicting some earlier reports about their ages.
Their transfer to Mumbai subsequently encountered a delay. In an October 20 report, India Today said the police escort had postponed an overnight journey from Kota because of security concerns. The suspects remained under guard while authorities arranged their transfer.
Evidence suggests the attack may have been planned earlier
Investigators are also examining evidence suggesting that the shooting was preceded by surveillance of Shroff's movements.
The Indian Express reported on October 20 that CCTV footage and call records placed the suspects near the Juhu football ground on October 11, seven days before the attack.
According to an officer cited by the newspaper, investigators suspect the men had intended to carry out the shooting during that earlier visit. Shroff reportedly did not attend his usual football session that Sunday.
On October 18, the suspects allegedly returned around 4:30 p.m. and remained near the ground until the actor emerged approximately two and a half hours later.
These findings suggest possible advance planning, but they do not independently establish who organized the operation or what instructions the suspects received. The earlier suspected attempt remains an investigative interpretation rather than a completed attack.
What is known about the alleged Bishnoi gang connection?
A statement circulated online after the shooting claimed responsibility on behalf of individuals associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal network, which has previously been linked to threats and violence involving prominent Indian public figures.
The reported statement referred to actor Salman Khan and warned people in the entertainment industry against working with him. Khan has previously faced threats attributed to the network, including following gunfire outside his Mumbai residence in 2024.
However, the existence of a responsibility claim does not prove that the organization directed this particular attack. The authenticity of the statement, the suspects' alleged connections and the possible role of other individuals remain subjects for investigators to establish.
In an October 19 account of Mumbai Police statements, The New Indian Express reported that authorities had not determined the motive.
It would therefore be premature to describe the shooting as confirmed retaliation over Shroff's professional relationships or to attribute responsibility definitively to the Bishnoi network.
What remains unresolved in the investigation?
The arrests and emerging surveillance evidence represent substantial investigative progress, but several central questions remain unanswered.
Police must still establish whether the three detained suspects acted independently, followed instructions from another individual or participated in a wider criminal operation. Investigators also need to determine the origin of the weapons, the circumstances of the alleged planning and the reliability of the circulating responsibility claim.
An attempted-murder case has been registered under Indian criminal law, alongside alleged weapons offenses, according to local reporting. Those allegations do not establish the suspects' guilt, and any subsequent charges, court orders or findings must be assessed separately.
The reported October 11 reconnaissance also creates another question: whether investigators can connect the suspects' earlier presence at the football ground to instructions or preparations for the October 18 shooting.
The next significant developments will be the suspects' formal legal proceedings, any additional arrests and police findings about the alleged organizers. Until those findings are established, the distinction between the apprehension of suspected gunmen and proof of who commissioned the attack remains central to understanding the case.
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