MUMBAI: When the shots rang out near a ground in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening, Malad resident and vlogger Salma Shaikh thought someone was bursting firecrackers ahead of Diwali.

It was only when people began shouting that

Tiger Shroff’s driver had been shot that everybody realised what had happened.

“I thought, why are crackers being burst? Everybody thought that crackers were being set off,” Shaikh said, recounting the firing at a vehicle carrying the actor near Pushpa Narsee Park.

Shaikh said she had been recording a vlog and calling out to Shroff as he passed by in his car.

“I was making a vlog today while saying ‘Tiger beta, Tiger beta’, but he didn’t stop. He rolled the car window upwards. I couldn’t see anything through the black-tinted window,” she said.

As per a viral video, two accused opened fire while the third accused was ready with a bike. One fired several shots from the front while the other was close to the car's door. He also fired but his weapon allegedly didn't work later and he fled. The firing came from the front side.

Shaikh claimed that one of the shooters were like a kid and added that she initially thought the person was setting off fireworks or was excited to see the actor.

According to Shaikh, the firing took place at around 7pm. She said people began crying after learning that the driver had been shot, while those accompanying Shroff started throwing things in the commotion.

Police later cleared the area, shut shops and dispersed the crowd, she added.

Shroff’s regular Sunday visit

Shroff reportedly visits the ground every Sunday to play football. He was reportedly returning from a private event when the firing took place.

The actor and his driver, Firdosh, were taken to Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle. Doctors said Shroff had suffered a few abrasions but no bullet wounds. His driver sustained a gunshot injury to his left hand and was likely to undergo surgery.

A third injured person, Yogesh Chavan, was taken to Cooper Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.

A hospital note said the 35-year-old arrived at the casualty department around 7.10pm after being injured at Vile Parle West around 6.30pm while covering a football match featuring Shroff. He was in stable condition.

Bishnoi gang’s alleged claim

After the firing, a voice note and an X post purportedly from Lawrence Bishnoi gang aide Anil Pandit claimed responsibility for the attack, naming Pandit and Harman Sandhu.

The message alleged that Shroff had been warned earlier and threatened to target those in the film industry who continued to work with

Salman Khan.

“Sooner or later, number sabka aayega,” Pandit allegedly said. The authenticity of the message and its connection to the firing have not been independently established.

Juhu police are investigating the incident, and a forensic team collected evidence from the spot. Mumbai Police have formed 15 teams to identify those involved.

Police are also expected to register a case of attempt to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with provisions of the Arms Act potentially being invoked.