Inside the weapons trail: How two women allegedly helped arm Tiger Shroff’s shooters

Mumbai: The investigation into the firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai is turning the spotlight on the alleged network that moved weapons across cities before the attack.

Police are examining a trail involving a pre-arranged collection point in Amritsar, encrypted communications and payments allegedly made to facilitate the transportation of a firearm.

Two women arrested in connection with the case are suspected of playing a crucial role in moving the weapon from Delhi to Mumbai. Their alleged involvement has led investigators to examine how the firearm changed hands, who coordinated its movement and whether those transporting it were aware of the wider plan.

At the centre of this line of investigation is a method described as a “dead letter box” — an arrangement in which an item is left at a predetermined location for another person to collect, without the two necessarily meeting.

A weapon collected without a direct handover

Investigators are probing the alleged collection of a pistol and 20 rounds from Amritsar by two accused, Kunal and Sumit, around two weeks before the shooting.

Police sources have indicated that the location was communicated by Anil Pandit, who was allegedly in touch with Kunal through an encrypted messaging application.

The suspected arrangement is significant because it could help investigators reconstruct how the weapon was procured and transferred without a conventional face-to-face exchange between the people involved at different stages.

The police are now seeking to establish who arranged the collection, who controlled the weapon after it was retrieved and how it eventually reached the alleged attackers in Mumbai.

The Rs 80,000 trail

Money is another important strand of the investigation. According to information attributed to investigators, Kunal allegedly received between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 for facilitating the movement of the weapon.

The two women, Radha and Babita, were allegedly paid around Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 for their part in transporting it, according to preliminary accounts of the probe.

Investigators suspect that Radha was asked to carry the firearm, with Babita accompanying her. The two reportedly travelled by train from Delhi on October 15 and reached Mumbai on October 17, a day before the shooting.

Police are examining the sequence of events after their arrival, including the alleged transfer of the bag containing the weapon to another person near the hotel where they were staying.

The investigation will need to establish the identity of the recipient, the recipient’s connection to the alleged shooters and whether additional people were involved in moving the firearm.

Why encrypted communications matter

Investigators are also examining the communications that allegedly connected the people involved in the weapon’s movement.

Kunal is suspected of having established contact with Anil Pandit through an intermediary after his release from jail in July. The two allegedly communicated through an encrypted platform.

Such exchanges could provide investigators with leads about the instructions given, the timing of the collection and the arrangements made for transportation.

However, the precise contents of the communications and the extent to which they establish each accused person’s role will have to emerge from the investigation.

Police are also looking into whether the alleged network extended beyond the transportation of weapons to other logistical arrangements connected with the attack.

From the supply chain to the shooting

The firing incident took place on October 18, when three motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire at Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area. The actor was reported safe, while his driver and a civilian were injured.

The investigation has since widened to examine not just the alleged shooters but also the people suspected of arranging the firearm and facilitating its movement across state borders.

The arrests of the two women and other alleged associates have brought the suspected supply chain into focus. Investigators are attempting to determine whether each person acted independently or whether their movements were coordinated by a larger group.

The key questions remain who commissioned the attack, who financed the operation, who supplied the weapon and how the alleged network connected the people involved in its procurement and delivery.