Mumbai, February 5: The Mumbai Crime Branch has made significant progress in the shooting incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty‘s residence. A court has remanded five arrested suspects into police custody until February 11.
The arrested individuals include Swapnil Bandu Sakate, Siddharth Deepak Yenpure, Samarth Shivsharan Pomaji, Aditya Dnyaneshwar Gayki, and Aasharam Fasle. Authorities reported that a pistol, an air gun, and three magazines were recovered from Swapnil’s residence. Additionally, the fifth suspect, Aasharam Fasle, was found in possession of three pistols.
Investigations revealed that the suspects deleted the Signal app from their phones. The police require extended custody to recover chats and gather further evidence. The main accused, Shubham Lonkar, remains at large, and police teams are actively searching for him.
Defense attorneys argued that Siddharth, Samarth, and Aditya were only responsible for providing a vehicle. They stated, “We are unaware of what transpired after the vehicle was handed over. Four days of police custody is sufficient.” In response, the police emphasized that while they have the suspects’ phones, more time is needed for a thorough examination of chats and digital evidence.
The police indicated that obtaining crucial information without custody would be challenging.
The shooting incident occurred late at night outside Rohit Shetty‘s home. Following the event, Shetty filed a complaint with the police. However, he clarified that he had not received any threatening calls or messages.
The Crime Branch is now focused on apprehending main suspect Shubham Lonkar and uncovering the conspiracy behind the incident. Multiple teams are searching different parts of the country for the shooters.