Three men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at Tiger Shroff’s BMW in Mumbai’s Juhu area on October 18, 2026, as the actor was leaving after playing football. Shroff escaped a gunshot wound, but his driver was injured and another man was also reported hurt. By the following morning, CCTV footage showing suspected shooters had emerged, and police were tracing their movements as they investigated a possible link to the Lawrence Bishnoi network.

The firing took place near Pushpa Narsee Park at around 7 pm. Preliminary accounts suggested that three men arrived on a motorcycle, with two appearing to fire at the vehicle while the third waited to help them escape. The presence of people gathered nearby to catch a glimpse of the actor added to the danger. What investigators initially treated as a possible targeted attack also carried the risk of injuring bystanders.

Reports differed on the number of rounds fired, so the precise count remains unclear. Police said Shroff had not suffered a bullet injury. However, photographs taken after the incident showed him with dressings on his shoulder and chest and a bandaged arm; Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later referred to injuries caused by gunpowder and glass fragments. Shroff’s driver sustained a gunshot wound to his hand.

The investigation quickly moved beyond the immediate scene. CCTV footage captured two men suspected of opening fire, while the motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was reportedly found near Andheri West railway station. Mumbai Police deployed multiple teams to identify the suspects, reconstruct their movements and establish how the attackers escaped. One early report said a person had been detained for questioning, while another reported that no one had been detained at that stage, showing just how quickly the initial updates were changing.

The central question was whether the shooting was connected to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A purported claim of responsibility surfaced soon after the incident, bringing Salman Khan’s long-running conflict with the gang back into focus. 

Alleged Bishnoi Gang Claim Threatens To Widen The Fallout

Within hours of the shooting, a social media post claiming responsibility appeared in the name of Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu, individuals described in reports as alleged associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi network. The account was subsequently deleted. An audio recording also circulated in which a man identifying himself as Anil Pandit claimed responsibility for the firing and issued threats against people in the film industry who continued to work with Salman Khan.

The purported message alleged that Shroff had ignored earlier warnings. It threatened people who worked with Khan and demanded that the superstar apologise to Lawrence Bishnoi and the Bishnoi community. The language appeared to invoke the blackbuck case that Bishnoi has cited as the reason for his hostility towards Khan.

The claim brought the shooting into the orbit of a much wider investigation into threats and violence associated with the alleged network. News reports suggested that Mumbai Police believed the claim was consistent with the gang’s known method of publicising attacks.

The incident prompted a swift response from Maharashtra’s political leadership.

Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to Shroff and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, seeking details of the investigation and assuring the actor that action would be taken. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Shroff and his father, Jackie Shroff, at their residence on Sunday night and condemned the firing. Shinde also warned that the government would not tolerate attempts by criminal groups to intimidate public figures.

The threats also placed Salman Khan back at the centre of the story, even though he was not the person whose vehicle was fired upon. The purported audio message explicitly invoked him, turning the question of Shroff’s professional association with Khan into a possible line of inquiry.

The 1998 Blackbuck Case That Lawrence Bishnoi Turned Into A Personal Grievance

The roots of the feud go back to October 1998, when Salman Khan and other actors were in Rajasthan filming Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Saath-Saath Hain.

Two blackbucks were allegedly hunted near Kankani village, outside Jodhpur, leading to a wildlife prosecution against Khan and his co-accused. For the Bishnoi community, which regards the blackbuck as sacred and has a long tradition of wildlife protection, the case carried significance beyond the identity of the actor involved.

On April 5, 2018, a Jodhpur trial court convicted Khan under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and sentenced him to five years in prison, imposing a fine of ₹10,000. The other actors accused in the case, including Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam Kothari, were acquitted. Salman challenged his conviction, while the Rajasthan government pursued proceedings against the acquittals.

The case remains unresolved. In February 2026, a Rajasthan High Court judge recused himself from hearing the connected proceedings, delaying a joint hearing of Khan’s appeal and the state’s challenge to the acquittals. A further hearing was adjourned in July 2026. Khan’s conviction therefore remains subject to the appellate process, rather than representing the final word on the case.

It was against this backdrop that Lawrence Bishnoi publicly made the blackbuck case the justification for his hostility towards Khan. Bishnoi, who belongs to the Bishnoi community, claimed that the actor had offended the community through the alleged killing. Sources: The Indian Express; The Times of India, February 2026; ABP News, July 2026.

From A Public Death Threat To Repeated Warnings, 2018–2023

The public feud between Lawrence Bishnoi and Salman Khan dates back to January 2018, when Bishnoi threatened to kill the actor in Jodhpur while being produced before a court. The threat came months before Khan was convicted in the 1998 blackbuck case. Bishnoi’s remarks subsequently became a reference point in a series of investigations into threats against the actor and alleged plans to attack him.

In June 2018, Haryana Police arrested Sampat Nehra, an alleged member of Bishnoi’s gang, in Hyderabad. Police said Nehra had conducted reconnaissance of Khan’s Mumbai residence.

The following year, Nehra’s questioning was reported to have revealed how the gang allegedly operated while Bishnoi was in custody. In 2020, police said another alleged associate, Rahul alias Sanga, had travelled to Mumbai to conduct reconnaissance of Khan’s Bandra home as part of a suspected plan to kill him.

The threats resurfaced in June 2022, when an unsigned letter was found near Bandra Bandstand, where Khan’s father, Salim Khan, regularly went for walks. The message warned that Salman Khan would meet the same fate as Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who had been shot dead weeks earlier.

Mumbai Police recorded statements from Khan and his father as part of the investigation. The letter bore the initials “GBLB”, prompting investigators to examine a possible link to Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi, although the initials alone did not establish who had written or delivered it.

In March 2023, Khan’s office received an email referring to Bishnoi’s earlier threats and claiming that Goldy Brar wanted to speak to the actor. Mumbai Police initially registered an FIR naming Bishnoi, Brar and another man, Mohit Garg. However, a subsequent investigation produced a significant qualification: police later said that the sender appeared to have no connection to either Bishnoi or Brar and that the email was probably a hoax. 

By November 2023, the threats had extended to another figure in the Punjabi entertainment industry. Shots were fired outside singer and actor Gippy Grewal’s home in Canada, and a Facebook post attributed to Bishnoi claimed responsibility while addressing Grewal’s friendship with Khan.

By the end of 2023, the record included a public death threat, police allegations of reconnaissance, a threatening letter and a shooting in Canada accompanied by a threat against Khan.

The 2024 Escalation That Put Salman Khan Under Renewed Threat

On April 14, 2024, two motorcycle-borne men opened fire outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments residence in Mumbai’s Bandra area. The actor was asleep inside the building when the shots were fired. No one was reported injured, but the incident marked a major escalation in the threats that had followed Khan for years.

Mumbai Police investigated the firing as an alleged organised-crime operation linked to Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates. In July 2024, police filed a chargesheet of approximately 1,735 pages against six arrested accused, naming Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi and associate Rohit Godara among those wanted in connection with the case. The chargesheet included evidence collected under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), as well as statements and digital material that investigators said supported their theory of a wider conspiracy.

Khan himself told police that he believed the Bishnoi gang had carried out the firing with the intention of killing him and his family. According to his statement, he heard a sound resembling a firecracker at around 4.55 am and was informed by his security personnel that two men on a motorcycle had fired at the first-floor balcony. Khan also told investigators that he and his family had received threats before the shooting.

The investigation extended beyond the men who allegedly pulled the trigger. In a separate probe, Navi Mumbai Police alleged that a contract worth ₹25 lakh had been issued to kill Khan, with potential targets including his Panvel farmhouse and locations where he might be filming. Investigators alleged that members of the network had conducted reconnaissance and tracked his movements over several months.

The case continued to move through the courts. By April 2026, trial proceedings had begun, with Khan’s personal bodyguard and a police guard among the witnesses examined. Anmol Bishnoi, who had been deported from the United States to India in November 2025, remained a wanted accused in the case according to reporting at the time. His subsequent custody in a separate case did not automatically resolve the Mumbai Police investigation.

Six months after the firing at Khan’s residence, another high-profile killing brought the alleged network back into focus.

On October 12, 2024, former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead outside the office of his son, Zeeshan Siddique, in Mumbai’s Bandra East. Siddique was well known for his close relationship with Khan and his connections across politics and the film industry. The killing prompted an extensive investigation, with police alleging that the gang had targeted Siddique partly because of his association with Khan and partly to establish its position in Mumbai’s underworld.

In February 2026, a special MCOCA court framed charges against 27 accused in the murder case. All pleaded not guilty. Police had alleged that Anmol Bishnoi was among those who directed the operation, but the allegations remain subject to the judicial process.

The April shooting and Siddique’s murder became two of the most consequential cases associated with the alleged network. Both raised questions about whether threats against Khan were part of a wider effort to intimidate people around him, and whether the gang was using high-profile violence to establish influence. Those questions would become more pressing as further shootings and threats emerged in India and abroad.

From Rohit Shetty to AP Dhillon, the Alleged Network’s Reach Widens

The violence investigated in connection with the Bishnoi network was not confined to Salman Khan’s immediate circle. In the months and years that followed, several prominent figures in the entertainment industry and Indian-origin communities abroad became targets of shootings or threats attributed to people claiming links to the organisation. The circumstances varied, and the connection to the blackbuck case was not established in every incident.

On September 2, 2024, gunfire was reported outside Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s home in British Columbia, Canada, and two vehicles were set on fire. An account claiming to represent the Lawrence Bishnoi–Rohit Godara network took responsibility. The incident came weeks after Dhillon released a music video featuring Salman Khan, prompting speculation about whether the collaboration was connected to the attack. 

In September 2025, the ancestral residence of actor Disha Patani’s family in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, was targeted in two reported firing incidents. Police said the attackers had conducted reconnaissance before the second incident, during which multiple rounds were fired. Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara claimed responsibility on social media, alleging that the attack was linked to remarks made by Patani’s sister about Hindu spiritual figures. The family was not reported injured.

The investigation led to the identification of six accused, including two alleged shooters who were later killed in a police encounter in Ghaziabad. In December 2025, police filed a chargesheet against four others. 

Another major incident occurred on February 1, 2026, when gunmen opened fire outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Juhu, Mumbai. Police said five rounds were fired, one of which struck the glass of a gym inside the building. The investigation led to arrests across several states, including the arrest of an alleged gang member identified as Golu Pandit in Agra in March.

In April 2026, Mumbai Police filed a 1,624-page chargesheet against 17 accused in the Shetty case. Police alleged that the attackers had conducted reconnaissance of the residence and acted on the instructions of Shubham Lonkar, who remained wanted along with Arzoo Bishnoi. The chargesheet described the alleged operation as an attempt to establish the gang’s influence, although investigators had not established a definitive motive for selecting Shetty.

The threats also continued in Canada. Kap’s Cafe, owned by comedian Kapil Sharma in Surrey, British Columbia, was targeted in three shootings between July and October 2025. A further firing incident was reported in May 2026 at a café next to Sharma’s establishment. Accounts claiming links to the Bishnoi network issued threats against Sharma and his business, while Canadian investigators examined the incidents in the context of suspected extortion. 

The international dimension became clearer in July 2026, when US authorities announced an indictment alleging that Bishnoi directed a transnational criminal enterprise from prison. Prosecutors alleged that the organisation used smuggled mobile phones and internet-based communications, with regional operatives managing activities across different countries. The indictment described a network allegedly involved in shootings, extortion, murder and other crimes. 

Against that backdrop, the October 2026 shooting involving Tiger Shroff has renewed attention to the alleged campaign against people associated with Salman Khan. Whether it forms part of the same operation remains a question for investigators, not a conclusion that can be drawn solely from the messages claiming responsibility.

Lawrence Bishnoi Is in Jail. How Does His Alleged Network Continue to Operate?

Lawrence Bishnoi has been lodged at Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad since May 2023, following his transfer from Delhi in connection with a narcotics investigation. Yet his imprisonment has not ended investigations into the criminal network associated with him. Authorities in India and abroad have continued to pursue cases involving alleged members and associates, raising questions about how the organisation is structured and whether instructions can be issued from behind bars.

The issue received renewed international attention in July 2026, when the US Department of Justice announced an indictment alleging that Bishnoi directed a transnational criminal enterprise from prison. Prosecutors alleged that he used smuggled mobile phones and internet-based communication devices to coordinate criminal activity, while delegating operational responsibilities to trusted associates. The indictment identified Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, as an alleged North American leader and Rohit Godara as an alleged European leader.

Bishnoi’s custody also presents legal and practical challenges for investigators. Restrictions imposed by the Union Home Ministry have limited his transfer from Sabarmati Jail to other states for questioning or custody in separate cases. 

His brother, Anmol Bishnoi, is a separate accused whose alleged role has also featured in investigations involving Salman Khan and other cases. Anmol was deported from the United States to India in November 2025 and subsequently taken into custody. Goldy Brar and other alleged associates have likewise been named in investigations concerning violence and extortion. 

The Last Bit, The Tiger Shroff Shooting Brings the Story Back to the Present

The shooting involving Tiger Shroff on October 18, 2026, has brought renewed attention to a feud whose publicly stated origins lie in the 1998 blackbuck case. For years, Lawrence Bishnoi has invoked that case to explain his hostility towards Salman Khan. The threats that followed, the 2024 firing outside Khan’s home and the subsequent incidents involving other entertainment figures have made the alleged network a subject of investigations in India and abroad.

The latest incident is significant because the people claiming responsibility reportedly warned that others working with Salman Khan could also be targeted. If investigators establish that the messages are authentic and that the shooters acted on the instructions of people associated with the Bishnoi network, the shooting could represent another escalation in the alleged campaign of intimidation. 

The historical record establishes that Bishnoi publicly linked his threat against Khan to the blackbuck case in 2018. It also establishes that authorities have investigated a series of later threats, shootings and alleged criminal plots involving Bishnoi and his associates. 

The Tiger Shroff shooting therefore leaves two related but distinct issues before investigators – who carried out the shooting, who directed it and why.