The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested Praveen Lonkar, the brother of alleged mastermind Shubham Lonkar, in connection with the firing incident outside Bollywood filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence. With this arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to 13.
According to officials, Praveen Lonkar was taken into custody from Arthur Road Jail, where he is currently lodged in connection with the murder case of Baba Siddique. After his arrest, the Crime Branch produced him before a special MCOCA court, which remanded him to Crime Branch custody till March 16.
A senior police officer said Praveen Lonkar’s role came to light during the course of the investigation, following which he was formally arrested. Investigators now plan to conduct a face-to-face interrogation between Lonkar and other accused arrested from Pune and Uttar Pradesh to uncover further details of the conspiracy.
According to the Crime Branch, Praveen Lonkar was allegedly involved in planning the firing incident while being inside jail. During the probe, it was revealed that Lonkar had hidden three firearms, including the weapon used in the firing outside Shetty’s house, at an undisclosed location known only to him. Acting on his instructions, accused Asaram Fasale reportedly retrieved the three weapons from the location and later handed them over to another accused, Swapnil Sakat.
Investigators further stated that the responsibility of arranging the vehicle and weapons used in the firing was assigned to a Pune-based module. Police believe that this module was being coordinated by Praveen Lonkar, the brother of Shubham Lonkar.
Following his arrest, officials expect more revelations in the case as the investigation progresses.