Rohit Shetty House Firing Case: Shooters Paid Rs 3 Lakh Supari by Bishnoi Gang, Police Say

A major revelation has emerged in the firing incident outside the residence of Bollywood filmmaker Rohit Shetty. The Mumbai Crime Branch investigation has found that the shooters were allegedly paid a contract amount of ₹3 lakh by the Bishnoi gang to carry out the attack.

According to Crime Branch officials, shooters Deepak Sharma, Sonu Kumar, Sunny Kumar and one unidentified आरोपी were given the supari through Shubham Lonkar on behalf of the Bishnoi gang. A senior Crime Branch officer said that out of the total ₹3 lakh, ₹50,000 was paid in advance in cash to cover expenses. However, the accused did not receive any further payment while they were absconding after the firing.

Investigations revealed that the ₹50,000 advance was routed through accused Vishnu Kushwaha. Shubham Lonkar allegedly arranged the money and sent it via Kushwaha before the shooters travelled from Agra to Mumbai. The Crime Branch is now probing how and from where Lonkar arranged the funds in Agra.

In a related development, five accused linked to the Pune module of the conspiracy were also reportedly paid ₹51,000 in cash. The accused arrested from Pune were said to be in contact with Praveen Lonkar during 2023–24, sources said.

The Crime Branch has also recovered the sophisticated weapon used in the firing from Haryana. Investigations revealed that after the attack, shooter Deepak Sharma carried the weapon with him while fleeing.

According to sources, the weapon was hidden at a factory in the Jhajjar area of Haryana, where three accused, including the shooter, were allegedly hiding. A Crime Branch team took the accused to Haryana, conducted a panchnama and seized the weapon. It has since been sent to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory for ballistic examination.

An official stated that the recovered weapon appears to be of high quality, though the ballistic report is awaited.

Sources further disclosed that the arrested accused were influenced by the Bishnoi gang’s activities on social media and allegedly joined the gang to establish dominance in their area and earn money.

Investigations revealed that Sonu Kumar had been residing in Kalyan for the past two years, and shooter Deepak stayed at his residence after arriving in Mumbai. Sonu allegedly showed the shooter the house of Rohit Shetty.

During the execution of the conspiracy, Shubham Lonkar was reportedly in frequent contact with all the accused through the Signal messaging app.

The investigation is ongoing, and officials are working to uncover further links in the network.