Mumbai: A special court Wednesday extended till March 4 the police remand of the suspected main shooter and six others in the filmmaker Rohit Shetty house firing case, with certain aspects of the crime, such as reconnaissance of the spot needing comprehensive investigation.
The police sought their custody for another ten days, citing that some recoveries pertaining to weapons were yet to be made. Further probe was also needed regarding the recce conducted by the accused.
It was also brought to the court’s notice that additional sections of the Arms Act have been added to the case.
The accused, including the shooter Deepak Sharma, were arrested on February 14 from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
They were produced before a special judge for cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Satyanarayan Navandar, at the end of their previous remand Wednesday.
Advocate Dilip Shukla, representing all the accused, opposed the police’s demand for extending the custody by ten days. He submitted that, in the interest of justice, a short custody might be given to the police.
Special Judge Navandar, after hearing both submissions, noted that, considering the scope of the investigation, sufficient time is needed to be given to the police.
At least five rounds were fired at the first floor of Shetty’s nine-storey building in Juhu on February 1. One bullet struck the glass of a gym inside the building.
Police have so far arrested 12 individuals, and five of them are currently in judicial custody.
Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar had claimed responsibility for the incident in a social media post.
Lonkar is a wanted accused in the NCP leader Baba Siddique murder case and in the firing at Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra.
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