Shetty home firing meant to invoke fear: Chargesheet

Mumbai: The firing outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence was aimed at instilling fear in the film industry and establishing gang supremacy to carry out an extortion racket, city police said in their chargesheet filed before a special MCOCA court.Police's anti-extortion cell on Thursday submitted a 1,624-page chargesheet against 15 arrested accused. Two key suspects—Shubham Lonkar and Arzoo—are on the run. Police have identified the role of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, saying the attack was executed on Lonkar's orders.The chargesheet said most of the suspects hail from Bijauli in UP's Bah and were recruited through social media platforms by Lonkar, who is linked to the Bishnoi gang. Police said they were assigned specific roles.The probe revealed that accused Pradeep Kumar Jatav (22) was present at the crime scene, along with main shooter Deepak Sharma. Police said Lonkar and his associate, Pravin Lonkar, acted as key financiers and strategists, arranging arms, ammunition, a bike and technical support. —S Ahmed Ali