Mumbai, February 11 The accused involved in the shooting at the residence of filmmaker Rohit Shetty here wanted to create terror in the city, police told a court on Wednesday while invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.
The special MCOCA court remanded the five accused in further police custody until February 17, while observing that the incident was just the "tip of the iceberg".
At least five shots were fired at the first floor of Shetty's nine-story building in the Juhu area at 12:45 am on February 1. One bullet struck the glass of a gym inside the building. The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai police's crime branch is investigating the case.
"Some of the accused are already involved in serious offences. Therefore, the crime branch has invoked MCOCA," said an official.
Police have so far arrested Aditya Gayaki (19), Siddharth Yenpure (20), Samarth Pomaji (18), and Swapnil Sakat (23) and Asaram Fasale in the case.
Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar is among the wanted accused in the case. He is alleged to have taken responsibility for the shooting at Shetty's residence in a social media post.
Lonkar is also wanted in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique and the shooting at Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence in Bandra.
The accused were produced before the special MCOCA court as their earlier police custody ended.
Seeking their remand for another 15 days, police told the court that the accused were linked to Shubham Lonkar who is on the run and his brother Pravin Lonkar who is in judicial custody for alleged role in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique.
One of the weapons recovered from an accused was supplied by Praveen Lonkar and the gang's intention was to create terror in Mumbai, police said.
Defence lawyers Sachin Zalte Patil and Ajinkya Mirgal opposed the fresh remand plea, saying there were no new grounds, and the mere invocation of MCOCA does not give police the right to custody.
Regarding Pravin Lonkar supplying a weapon, the defence lawyers said it was not possible as he is in judicial custody for over one and a half years.
The court noted that though the case appears to be small, it is "the "tip of the iceberg".
Considering the alleged involvement of an organised crime syndicate, further investigation "is indispensable" and sufficient time needs to be given to the probe agency to uncover the truth, the court said, while remanding the accused in further police custody until February 17.