Highlights
- Tiger Shroff’s spokesperson has denied the viral quotes attributed to him after the October 18 Juhu shooting: “This news is completely untrue. Tiger has not made any such statement.”
- The actor’s team says he has made no statements at all about the incident, and has warned that fabricated stories and AI-generated videos are circulating in his name
- Mumbai Police have arrested 11 people in the case; the two guns allegedly used were recovered from Surat on Friday, one a Turkish pistol that reportedly jammed mid-attack
- Investigators say the shooters’ escape plan collapsed when they missed a bus — they were arrested from a train in Kota the next day
What happened on October 18
The attack itself is not in dispute. On the evening of Sunday, October 18, Tiger Shroff — the 36-year-old son of actor Jackie Shroff — was returning home after playing football and sitting in the front passenger seat of his BMW when two men opened fire in Mumbai’s Juhu area at around 7 pm, firing at least five rounds before speeding away on a bike (NDTV).
Shroff escaped unhurt, but his driver Firdous Baloch and a vlogger, Umesh Chauhan, were injured; videos that surfaced after the attack showed the actor getting out and driving the car himself to take his injured driver to hospital (NDTV). The shooting happened near Pushpa Narsee Park, where fans and phone vloggers routinely gather to film the actor — one of them, 35-year-old detergent seller Umesh Chauhan, was there to shoot content for his own followers when he was hit (The Indian Express).
The statement that travelled — and the denial that followed
On Sunday, a week after the attack, reports citing police sources said Shroff had told a Mumbai Crime Branch team that visited his home: “I am in deep shock. I do not wish to say anything right now. I am not sure who would want to carry out such a life-threatening attack on me, and why,” adding, “I have no enmity with anyone… so why was I attacked?” (NDTV).
Within hours, the actor’s camp rejected the story outright. His spokesperson told Hindustan Times: “This news is completely untrue. Tiger has not made any such statement. No such thing has happened” (WION). The denial matched a warning his team had already issued on October 21, aimed at fake AI-generated videos showing the actor in bandages: “We would like to categorically clarify that Tiger Shroff has made no statements, released no videos, and authorized no communication regarding the recent incident or any related developments” (Zoom TV). The team has also warned that fabricated stories falsely attributed to him are intended to mislead, and that those circulating them could face legal action (Zoom TV).
Both versions are now on the record, and they cannot both be true — which is precisely why the denial, not the quote, is the reliable news here: it comes from a named spokesperson speaking for the actor, while the quote rests on unnamed sources.
A jammed pistol, a missed bus and 11 arrests
Away from the statement row, the police investigation has moved quickly. The three alleged shooters — Phool Singh (18) and Rehan Rahisuddin Ansari (18), both from Haryana, and Hritik Kumar alias Roshan (22) from Bihar — were arrested from a train in Rajasthan’s Kota the day after the attack (NDTV).
Details reported from the investigation read like a plot that kept failing. A Turkish-made Zigana pistol allegedly used by Rehan jammed during the attack, and two live cartridges fell out without being fired, while Phool Singh allegedly fired with a country-made pistol (NDTV). The shooters’ original plan was to take a bus from Surat to Delhi and flee across the border into Nepal — but they reached the bus stand after it had departed, and were switched to a “Plan B” train journey on instructions passed through VoIP calls before the Crime Branch tracked them through CCTV footage (NDTV).
On Friday, police raided a hideout in Surat and recovered the two firearms allegedly used in the shooting, along with ten live cartridges, and sent the weapons for forensic analysis; on Saturday, a 22-year-old, Pranjal Thakran from Sonipat, was arrested in Indore on suspicion of providing logistical and financial support, taking the total arrests to 11 (NDTV). Investigators are also examining the role of an alleged handler who reportedly sent the shooters live updates, and the accused are reported to have claimed during questioning that Shroff’s praise of Salman Khan at an event was among the reasons he was targeted — a motive police have not conclusively established (National Herald).
How the industry and fans reacted
Fans filled social media with prayers and relief that the actor was unharmed, with the phrase “Tiger Zinda Hai” becoming a recurring reaction as news of his escape spread (NDTV). An eyewitness who had come to film him, Salma Sheikh, described the moment the shots rang out: “I initially thought that somebody was bursting crackers. It was only after we saw his driver soaked in blood that we realised what had happened” (The Indian Express).
Within the industry, the anger was aimed at the climate that produced the attack. Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia wrote on X: “The ones who are harmless are sent to jail – the ones who are criminals are shooting innocents on the street! A gangster who is in Jail openly threatens Bollywood and shoots at will -and we just allow fear to spread! Who is answerable??” Actor-politician Ravi Kishan said: “It is very sad. It is a matter of great concern and a matter for investigation. We have full faith in the Maharashtra Police” (Hindustan Times).
Why this story has a second, quieter lesson
First, the denial is a case study in how celebrity news now works. A quote attributed to unnamed sources was published by major outlets, screenshotted and shared for a full day before the actor’s side called it fabricated — and his team says AI-generated videos of him, in bandages, were already circulating days earlier. In a story involving a gang-linked shooting, misinformation is not a side issue; it shapes what the public, and possibly the accused’s sympathisers, believe happened.
Second, the investigation’s own facts need no embellishment. A jammed imported pistol, a country-made backup weapon, an escape to Nepal defeated by a missed bus, guns dumped near a bus stand and recovered within the week, 11 people in custody — the documented trail is dramatic enough, and it is the part of this story that will matter in court.
Third, the people in the frame were not only celebrities. The injured men were a driver doing his job and a small-time vlogger filming a star for a few hundred followers — the shooting shone a light on Mumbai’s fan-vlogger economy, where ordinary fans stake their evenings, and now their safety, on getting close to fame (The Indian Express). Whatever the motive turns out to be, that is the part of October 18 that will outlast the headlines.