MCOCA invoked against 11 suspects in Tiger Shroff car firing, bail unlikely

The Mumbai police crime branch has invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against the 11 suspects arrested in the October 18 firing on actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu, meaning bail will be difficult. Two shooters fired five rounds at Shroff’s vehicle as he left a football ground; Shroff escaped unharmed but his driver and an autorickshaw driver were injured. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack. Police have used MCOCA in other alleged Bishnoi‑gang incidents, including the 2024 firing outside Salman Khan’s house, the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique and the firing outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s home; of roughly 40 accused in those cases, all but one remain jailed. DCP (Crime) Raj Tilak Roushan said the police invoked Sections 3(1)(ii), 3(2) and 3(4) of MCOCA after obtaining permission from the competent authority. Under MCOCA a court can grant bail only if it is convinced of reasonable grounds of innocence, and police get up to 180 days to file a chargesheet and may seek longer custody; confessions before a DCP are admissible. All 11 accused, including three held in Kota, Rajasthan and the rest in Delhi and Haryana, will appear before a special MCOCA court on Wednesday, where police will seek to keep them in custody. Police have also named Anil Pandit as a wanted accused, suspected to be in the United States.

Context

MCOCA is a special law aimed at tackling organised crime; its stricter bail and evidence rules make it harder for accused to secure release before trial.