Rohit Shetty Case: Custody extended for 5 accused, one claims coercion

Five accused arrested in the Rohit Shetty firing case were produced before the MCOCA court today after their police custody expired, and the court remanded all five accused in police custody until February 23.

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The Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Aditya Gaikki, Siddharth Yenpure, Samarth Pomaji, Swapnil Sakat, and Asaram Fasale from Pune and produced them before the court today after their custody expired.

Swapnil Sakat, an accused arrested in the Rohit Shetty firing case, told the court that the police coerced his statement and asked him to sign.

Investigation Broadens with More Arrests

According to Mumbai Police sources, four individuals were involved in the Rohit Shetty firing case: Deepak Sharma, Sunny, Sonu, and one fugitive. Deepak allegedly fired the shots while the others were present nearby. Sonu had lived in Kalyan for two years and recently returned to his village in Agra, where he was involved in supplying arms and was in contact with the other accused.

Sources said Deepak Sharma allegedly carried out the firing, while the other accused were not present at the exact spot during the shooting but were in the vicinity at the time of the incident.

Mumbai Police's investigation into the Rohit Shetty house firing case has led to the arrest of 12 accused, including the main shooter, Deepak Sharma. The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch is handling the case, with sections of the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) invoked.

Mumbai DCP Crime Raj Tilak Roushan said, "On February 1, there was firing at movie producer-director Rohit Shetty's residence. In this case, an FIR under 126/26 was registered at the Juhu Police Station. Later, this FIR was handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch for investigation. In this case, the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch is conducting further investigation. Initially, the Anti-Extortion Cell arrested 5 accused. In addition, sections of the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) Code have been added to this crime. Yesterday, with the help of Technical Analysis, Human Intelligence, Haryana STF and UP STF, we arrested 7 more accused. In this case, the accused who had fired at Rohit Shetty's house is also included. Till now, a total of 12 accused have been arrested. Further investigation is being done by Anti extortion cell, Mumbai Crime Branch."

Six Accused Apprehended in Rajasthan

Mumbai court on Monday sent six accused arrested from Rajasthan in connection with the shooting incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's Juhu residence to police remand until February 25.

According to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, the accused were apprehended in Rajasthan and are being brought to Mumbai. To date, 12 people have been arrested in the case. The six accused, detained yesterday and formally arrested today, had been on the run in different states for 16 days after the incident.

The weapon used in the shooting has not yet been recovered. Police said the 12 accused individuals had varying roles in the crime and communicated via different apps to coordinate. The police sought a 15-day custodial remand for these accused in court.

The main accused, Deepak Chandra, has been arrested from Haryana. The police presented evidence of the gang's role in the case through graphics of the charges. The lawyers for the accused argued that Vishal, Hrithik, and Jatin were not at the scene when the incident occurred. These individuals were charged solely because they paid for the rickshaw; they had no knowledge of the incident.

Film Body Seeks Government Intervention

Recently, following the incident, the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging the state government to intervene to ensure a swift investigation and appropriate security measures.

Further investigation into the case is underway.