Mumbai: Five accused were produced before a special Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Wednesday in connection with the firing incident outside Rohit Shetty’s house.
Mumbai Police has invoked sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). Police suspect that an organized crime network is behind the attack.
The court sent all five accused to police custody till February 17.
After the imposition of MCOCA, defense lawyer Ajinkya Mirgal said, “MCOCA has been added today… They (police) told the court that the weapon recovered from accused number one Sakat was given to him by Praveen Lonkar, who is involved in the Baba Siddiqui murder case and has been in jail for one and a half years. We said that he has been in jail for one and a half years. When and how did he get the weapon? This possibility seems a bit suspicious to us.”
This came after Mumbai Police arrested four people on February 1, soon after the attackers fired four rounds outside Shetty’s residence. He was sent to police custody.
The fifth accused was arrested on Thursday (February 5) and produced in the court along with other accused.
After the hearing, the judge, citing the seriousness of the crime and the criminal conspiracy, sent him to police custody till February 11, 2026.
The judge also noted the need for detailed investigation and joint interrogation and ordered the detention of the five accused. During the hearing, the police told the court that they had taken responsibility for the incident in a social media post.
The police communicated through the Signal app to maintain confidentiality, police said, adding that they are seeking additional deleted chats with Shubham Lonkar.
The police requested maximum custody of the four persons arrested earlier and 10 days’ custody for the fifth accused, Asaram Fasale alias Babu.
Mumbai Crime Branch’s investigation into the case has revealed that accused arms supplier Asaram Fasale was working as a garage mechanic for the Bishnoi gang for the last four years.
Police said he joined the gang under the influence of Shubham Lonkar, who is considered the mastermind of both the Baba Siddiqui murder case and the Rohit Shetty firing incident.
The crime branch claims that on the instructions of Lonkar, Fasale had handed over weapons to Swapnil Sakat, which were later used in the firing by the unknown shooter.
For the first accused, his lawyer argued that he was not present at the scene when the incident occurred and he was arrested on the basis of circumstantial evidence. He also said that there is no established relationship between the accused and Shubham Lonkar.
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