Key facts
- Tiger Shroff was the target of a shooting attempt in Mumbai.
- Shroff's driver and a vlogger were injured in the attack.
- Lawrence Bishnoi, a notorious gangster, has been linked to the incident.
- The attack follows a history of organized crime involvement in Bollywood.
- Social media is now used by gangsters to spread threats and claims of responsibility.
Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff was the target of a shooting attempt on Sunday evening as he was leaving a football ground in Mumbai. His driver and a vlogger were wounded in the incident. Police have detained or arrested 10 suspects and are investigating alleged weapon deliveries and payments made to the attackers.
Claims of responsibility have circulated online, with a social media post purportedly from an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and an audio recording from a man identifying himself as Anil Pandit. These claims suggest the attack was linked to Shroff's alleged connections to actor Salman Khan, whom Bishnoi has been threatening for years over a 1998 poaching case. Mumbai police have not yet verified these claims or confirmed the Bishnoi gang's involvement.
The incident has revived fears about organized crime's influence in Bollywood, reminiscent of the 1990s and early 2000s when the underworld exerted considerable control over the film industry through financing and violence. However, former officials like D Sivanandhan suggest the current threat may differ from the traditional Mumbai mafia, with new-generation gangsters like Bishnoi being more technologically adept and internationally connected, according to Rakesh Maria, a former Mumbai police commissioner.
While there is little evidence that criminal networks have regained their former financial control over Bollywood, the attacks highlight a new vulnerability: the ability of such groups to spread fear through social media, even without direct control.