Baba Siddique murder case wanted accused Shubham Lonkar linked to firing at Rohit Shetty's home, cops probe

Bollywood filmmaker Rohit Shetty (right). Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi (left). File Pic

Shubham Lonkar, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has been declared a wanted suspect in the firing case at filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence in Mumbai's Juhu area, a police official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

At around 12:45 am on Sunday, five shots were reportedly fired at Rohit Shetty's nine-storey home, with one bullet hitting the glass of the building's gym.

Lonkar is also wanted in connection with the October 2024 murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Bandra East.

According to police, Lonkar allegedly claimed responsibility for the firing incident in a social media post, reported PTI.

A police official said the firing was carried out with the intention of killing the filmmaker, who was in his residence on the seventh floor of Shetty Tower, located on Road Number 10 at Mehmood Chowk.

A case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Maharashtra Police Act, and Arms Act for attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and other offences has been registered at Juhu police station. The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has also initiated a probe. Four people have been arrested so far.

Firing at Rohit Shetty's house

Meanwhile, the accused who allegedly fired the five rounds at the filmmaker's home remain at large, and multiple teams have been formed to apprehend him and his associates, the official added.

According to PTI, the arrested accused have been identified as Swapnil Bandu Sakat (23), Samarth Pomani (19), Siddharth Yenpure (19), and Aditya Gayki (19), all residents of Vadgaon, Dhayri, and Karve Road areas in Pune. These four are accused of providing the scooter used in the crime and offering logistical support.

Sakat is unemployed, Pomani is a college student, while Yenpure and Gayki work as delivery boys for app-based services. One of the four has a prior case registered against him.

"The weapon used is of good quality. The scooter was found abandoned near Kings Hotel on St. Joseph Church Road, Vile Parle West," the official said, reported PTI.

The complainant in the case is a 31-year-old security guard deployed at Shetty's residence. Typically, the building is guarded by three private personnel and two police officers assigned to the filmmaker's security, the complaint mentioned.

According to the complaint, two security guards were monitoring CCTV screens while one police officer was having his meal on the sixth floor when the complainant heard a sound resembling firecrackers.

Upon checking the CCTV, he spotted a man wearing a black jacket and white pants, carrying a pistol-like weapon and firing, the official said, quoting the complaint.

"After firing five rounds, the accused fled on a scooter. Five empty cartridges were recovered from the spot. Mobile phones of the four arrested accused have been seized. Investigations are also underway to trace the weapon's origin and how the shooter obtained it," he added, reported PTI.

Police are also probing aspects such as funding for the crime and whether the accused carried out prior reconnaissance of the filmmaker's building.

(With PTI inputs)