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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Accused trio get 10-day remand

Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai,...

Accused trio get 10-day remand

Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai, were brought here from Kota in separate vehicles early today. They were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade Court where the police sought 14 days’ custody for the accused who are allegedly acting at the behest of the jailed mafia chief Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. Pleading for the remand, the police lawyers argued that sustained custodial interrogation was necessary to recover the weapons used in the shooting – which the accused had thrown away while fleeing, retrieve two mobile phones which were reportedly destroyed by the accused, besides digging out the entire conspiracy, pinpoint the exact motives and identify other persons involved in the brazen attack. Opposing the plea, the accused’s lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi argued that police custody was unnecessary, particularly for recovering the weapons. Mirgal and Joshi later told mediapersons that the accused had already been interrogated at a railway colony during their transit-remand period and were produced before the CMM Court just minutes before the transit remand expired this afternoon. After hearing both sides, the CMM remanded them to police custody for 10 days till October 31. It may be recalled that Shroff, 36, was targeted on the evening of October 18 near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu. Despite being a heavily crowded area, the assailants were seen firing at least 5-6 rounds at the actor’s car before fleeing on a motorcycle. A shaken Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, sustaining minor bruises, but his driver and a bystander suffered injuries. Following the incident, the Mumbai Police registered a case of attempted murder and offences under the Arms Act, and launched an interstate investigation involving Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, and later Gujarat and Delhi. The Mumbai Police formed 20 teams to hunt down the attackers, recovered the second-hand motorcycle outside Andheri station where it was abandoned and tracked their journey through different modes of transport from Mumbai to Surat and Kota. Acting on a tech-intel alert from Mumbai Police, the Kota Police lay in wait for them and apprehended them from the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express on Monday morning. Initial probe revealed that the assailants were planning to flee the country after travelling to the borders via Jaipur and Delhi. They were lured by the promise of sneaking them out of India to a foreign country, possibly Canada and rehabilitating them. Three key accused brought to Mumbai from Kota Three key accused apprehended in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car were brought to Mumbai from Kota in Rajasthan early on Wednesday, police said. Police brought them by road from Kota to Mumbai and, upon arrival, immediately took them to GT Hospital for a mandatory medical examination, an official said. Following the medical check-up, the accused were escorted to the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) office for interrogation. The accused have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka, from Sonipat in Haryana; Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai; and Phool Singh from Haryana, the official said. The Kota city police had handed them over to Mumbai Police, which formally arrested them and produced them before a magistrate there. The court granted transit remand to take them to Mumbai. Meanwhile, advocate Ajinkya Mirgal arrived at the AEC office in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, informing officials that he would represent the accused as their defence counsel in the case. At least two men fired gunshots at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening before speeding away on a motorcycle. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. According to Mumbai Police, five to six rounds were fired at the car. A motorcycle, allegedly used by the shooters, was found abandoned in Andheri. The accused fled to Surat and once there, boarded a Jaipur-bound train. The three were supposed to go to Delhi on a bus and then flee to Nepal. The Mumbai Police have registered a case under the provisions of attempt to murder and the Arms Act. According to the police, Rehan was in touch with Anil Pandit, an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the attack in an unverified social media post. On Tuesday, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four more persons, including two women, in connection with the firing case. Police suspect they were acting on the directions of Anil Pandit, a gangster operating from abroad, an official earlier said. The four accused, identified as Kunal (21), Sumit (19), Radha (23), and Babita (23), were apprehended from Delhi and Haryana. According to police, Kunal allegedly collected a pistol and 20 rounds from Amritsar on the instructions of Anil Pandit, with Sumit accompanying him. Radha and Babita allegedly travelled to Mumbai with the weapon. Following the arrest, the police said the motive of the shooting was being ascertained, while the way Shroff was attacked, the assailants planned to kill him.

The Last Emperor

Writer: Kiran D. Tare
Kiran D. Tare
Jul 10
3 min read

Even as his final World Cup ends in disappointment, Cristiano Ronaldo's influence on the game remains unmatched.

At 41, when most footballers are remembered through grainy highlights and nostalgic documentaries, Cristiano Ronaldo was still trying to win a World Cup. Portugal's elimination at the hands of Spain in the Round of 16 has almost certainly brought down the curtain on the greatest international career the sport has seen without its ultimate prize. Ronaldo himself acknowledged before the tournament that this would be his last World Cup. 


The absence of a World Cup title will tempt many to place Ronaldo behind his great rival Lionel Messi, whose victory in Qatar in 2022 appeared to settle, once and for all, the debate over football's greatest player. Yet, football has always had an uneasy habit of allowing one tournament to overshadow an entire career. While the World Cup remains the sport's supreme prize, but it has never been a flawless measure of individual greatness. George Best never played in one. Johan Cruyff reached a final but never lifted the trophy. Ferenc Puskás lost two finals. Alfredo Di Stéfano never appeared at the tournament at all. Conversely, players of far lesser individual distinction have become immortals by virtue of a few unforgettable weeks every four years.


Ronaldo belongs to the rarer category of footballers whose influence transcends a single competition. His career has always demanded a different yardstick. If Messi represents genius bestowed by nature, Ronaldo embodied genius manufactured through relentless self-improvement.


Born in Madeira in 1985 to a working-class family, Ronaldo possessed extraordinary pace and technique but not the polished completeness that later became his trademark. His move to Manchester United F.C. in 2003 under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson transformed an exuberant winger into a disciplined machine. Hours of practice refined his weaker foot, strengthened his physique and sharpened an already formidable competitive instinct.


His subsequent transfer to Real Madrid C.F. for what was then a world-record fee elevated him from star to institution. There he evolved into football's most devastating goal scorer. His rivalry with Messi transcended sport. Every weekend became another chapter in an extraordinary duel between two men who seemed intent on rewriting every statistical record available.


Ronaldo eventually conquered Italy with Juventus F.C., returned briefly to Manchester United before embarking on an unexpected final act in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr FC. Critics dismissed the move as retirement in disguise. Instead, it accelerated football's migration towards the Gulf, encouraging other stars to follow and permanently altering the economics of the global transfer market.


His influence extends beyond club football. Ronaldo became the most prolific scorer in men's international football, the most capped male international and the first player to score in six different World Cups. Portugal, once regarded as an entertaining but inconsistent football nation, matured into perennial contenders under his leadership. Victory at Euro 2016 and another UEFA Nations League title in 2025 ensured that his international career was decorated even if the World Cup remained elusive. 


Numbers alone, however, fail to explain Ronaldo's significance. He helped redefine what elite athletic longevity could look like. Meticulous attention to nutrition, sleep, recovery and conditioning turned him into perhaps football's greatest advertisement for sports science. Younger professionals increasingly copied his routines.


He also anticipated the age of the athlete as a global corporation. Before personal branding became mandatory, Ronaldo understood that celebrity could be monetised independently of club loyalties. His CR7 label expanded into fashion, hotels, fragrances and digital media, while his social-media following reached unprecedented levels, making him one of the world's most influential public figures far beyond football.


To detractors, Ronaldo could appear vain, theatrical and consumed by records. His emotional displays, extravagant celebrations and unmistakable confidence were interpreted as narcissism. But such criticism misses the essence of his appeal. 


His career has also mirrored football's transformation into a relentlessly commercial spectacle. The transfer fees, sponsorships and global audiences that accompanied him chart the sport's evolution from Europe's favourite pastime into a worldwide entertainment industry.


Ronaldo was not merely its beneficiary but became one of its principal architects.


History may ultimately rank Messi as the more naturally gifted footballer. But Ronaldo's legacy lies elsewhere. He demonstrated that age need not dictate decline, and that modern athletes can become multinational enterprises in their own right.


This World Cup trophy will never bear Cristiano Ronaldo's fingerprints. The modern game, however, bears them everywhere.

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