The net around the October 18 Tiger Shroff attack has tightened. Security agencies are now zeroing in on Randeep Malik, a US-based aide to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who allegedly mentored Anil Pandit. Pandit is the man who publicly claimed responsibility for shooting at the Bollywood actor’s car near Pushpa Park in Juhu. This isn't just a tenuous connection. Sources indicate Malik was directly involved in a separate firing incident in Haryana’s Sonipat and has a long track record of targeting Indian businessmen abroad.
Malik runs a modest trucking business in the US, owning two trucks. He is originally from Jind in Haryana and the sole son of a family based in Anchla Kalan village in Safidon. His local standing has crumbled. Villagers and even his own family have reportedly ostracised him. Malik didn't even attend his sister’s wedding because an active Look Out Circular (LOC) against him made travel dangerous.
The NIA had already flagged Malik in March this year. They revealed his links to the 2024 Gurugram clubs’ bombing case. He is also reportedly associated with gangster Goldy Brar. The current probe looks at whether Malik coordinated the logistics or the mindset behind the Juhu attack, given his mentorship role with Pandit.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw three motorcycle-borne assailants detained at a railway station in Rajasthan on October 19. Two were from Haryana, one from Bihar. Three women in Delhi who allegedly supplied the weapons were also detained and handed over to Mumbai Police. The investigation now turns its full attention to the higher-up architecture of the gang network.