The investigation into the firing incident targeting Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff has revealed that the shooters were in constant contact with their handler through phone calls and messages. Investigators suspect that the accused were also receiving real-time updates about the police investigation, including information broadcast on television news channels.

According to sources, the shooters remained in touch with their handler during and after the October 18 attack. They were provided with updates about developments in the case and the police operation to identify and apprehend them.

Sources said that after information about the shooters’ identities and appearances began emerging, the handler instructed them to leave the area. The accused were also reportedly kept informed about news coverage of the incident.

Investigators suspect that someone was monitoring television news channels and passing relevant information to the accused.

When footage of the shooting and images of the suspects, captured in videos recorded by vloggers, were broadcast, one of the accused, Rehan Ansari, received messages instructing him to leave.

However, the identity of the person who monitored television coverage and relayed information to the shooters remains unknown. The police are investigating the communication network used by the accused and their associates.

According to police sources, investigators suspect that Anil Pandit, who is believed to be in the US, or Ankit Khattak and Sameer Khatri, who were recently arrested in Sonipat, may have been involved in directing Rehan through Internet-based communication applications.

The police have reportedly recovered photographs, videos and details of conversations from the accused. The investigation has also revealed that the suspects allegedly changed their travel plans and modes of transport in response to information about police movements.

After the firing at Tiger Shroff’s car on October 18, the three alleged shooters fled on motorcycles before travelling to different locations by train and cab. They relied on Internet-based calls instead of conventional mobile networks, making it difficult for investigators to trace their communications.

A routine phone conversation between one of the accused and a cab driver reportedly provided the police with an important lead. Acting on information shared by the Mumbai Police, the three suspects were subsequently arrested from a train in Kota, Rajasthan.

So far, 10 people have been arrested in connection with the case. The three alleged shooters Phool Singh (18), Rehan Rahimuddin Ansari (18) and Hrithik Mahato (22) remain in police custody until October 31.

According to sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch, Randeep Malik, associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, reportedly connected Rehan with Anil Pandit. Another accused, Kunal, is also suspected of having come into contact with Pandit through Malik.

Investigators further suspect that individuals who conducted reconnaissance in Mumbai sent photographs of locations associated with the actor to Pandit and Malik. These reportedly included Tiger Shroff’s football ground and several locations in the Juhu and Bandra areas.

Sources said that the accused allegedly discussed testing the firearm before carrying out the attack. Hrithik reportedly suggested the forests of Aarey Colony for this purpose, as his experience working as a Rapido rider in Mumbai had made him familiar with the area.

During interrogation, the accused claimed that Tiger Shroff’s praise for actor Salman Khan at an event was among the reasons behind the decision to target him.

Sources said investigators were examining these claims. The Crime Branch has not yet established the motive conclusively.

Meanwhile, Tiger Shroff is said to have been deeply disturbed by the incident. An officer said the actor told the police during preliminary discussions that he was shocked by the firing and had never imagined that his car would be targeted.

The actor reportedly told investigators that he had no personal enmity with anyone and did not know who the attackers were or why they had opened fire.

A Crime Branch officer said the actor’s statement has not yet been formally recorded because he was distressed following the incident. The police are expected to record his statement soon as the investigation continues.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons after two posters against the government were found pasted inside a train on the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line, police said on Saturday.

The FIR was registered under Sections of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, 2007, and the Metro Railway (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002.

“The black-and-white posters raised various issues and listed nine claims about changes in the country over recent years. They also carried a QR code inviting people to join an online group,” police said.

Officials said that police seized the posters, and the Special Cell is also involved in the investigation.

This comes amid the anti-Election Commission of India (ECI) protests in the National Capital over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Several Opposition parties, student activists, as well as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) organised protests across the city demanding a rollback of the SIR protest and resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Meanwhile, the INDIA Bloc has scheduled a mega rally against ‘vote chori’ on November 1 in New Delhi.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary, K.C. Venugopal on Friday said the party held high-level meetings with senior leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to intensify mobilisation for the rally.

In a post on X, Venugopal said that he, along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, met AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Pal Gautam, UP PCC president Aradhana Misra Mona and other senior leaders from the state to discuss strategies for building large-scale participation in the rally.

The November 1 rally is being projected as one of the largest mobilisations by the Opposition alliance in recent times, with a special focus on drawing participation from northern states.

The Congress has appealed to supporters and citizens concerned about democratic processes to join the march and the Ramleela Maidan gathering in large numbers.

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has shared a video on social media recalling how her love story with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began in 1965 at a small Greek restaurant called The Varsity in Cambridge, England.

In her debut post on X, Sonia Gandhi spoke about her upcoming memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, which is scheduled to be released on November 10. She also shared personal memories of her life with Rajiv Gandhi, offering a glimpse into the early days of their relationship through recollections and old photographs.

“In a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, my journey of love began. Rajiv and I created a world filled with love, laughter and memories. On 10th November, I share that world with you,” she said.

Recalling their first meeting at the Greek restaurant in Cambridge in 1965, Sonia spoke warmly about Rajiv Gandhi and the qualities that attracted her to him.

“Of course he was very good-looking,” she said.

She also remembered the difficulties of finding good food in England during those days, explaining that restaurants were relatively few and that she eventually discovered a Greek restaurant frequented by Indian and Italian students.

She recalled how the restaurant became the setting for the beginning of their relationship.

“That is when I met Rajiv; in that very restaurant. When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that he was someone I would really love to be with. And of course, I learned out he felt the same. I remember when I first met him, a common friend introduced us and then we became friends. We used to go to parties with friends,” Sonia recalled.

Reflecting on Rajiv Gandhi’s personality, she said his gentle nature had left a lasting impression on her from the very beginning.

“He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. That was something that really touched me and struck me. I’ll never forget when I first met him,” she added.

Sonia Gandhi’s post on X marked her first appearance on the social media platform.

Earlier on Thursday, she also joined Instagram, where she shared a message introducing her forthcoming memoir and expressing gratitude for being able to present its first look to readers.

“Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all: the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love. It is a story of love, duty, loss, and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you,” Sonia Gandhi wrote in her first Instagram post while sharing the first look of the book.

In the video shared on Instagram, Sonia Gandhi is seen receiving the first copies of her book and sharing sweets with her daughter and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The two were also seen hugging.

The book is set to launch on November 10, while pre-orders have been opened. The memoir is being published globally by Alfred A. Knopf, with HarperCollins India handling its release in the country.

Spanning 544 pages, the book traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her meeting and eventual relationship with Rajiv Gandhi. It also chronicles the personal tragedies that shaped her life, including the assassinations of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and explores her subsequent role in Indian politics.