The Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has recovered the weapon used in the firing at filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence, officials said on Wednesday.The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Crime Branch has so far arrested 12 accused in connection with the case, including the alleged shooter Deepak Sharma.

Five bullets fired at Juhu building

According to police, the accused had fired five bullets at Shetty’s building in the upscale Juhu area in the early hours of February 1 before fleeing the scene.“The weapon used in firing gunshots has been recovered from the shooter and was sent to a forensic science laboratory for a ballistic test to confirm its use in the crime,” an official told PTI.

Alleged link to Lawrence Bishnoi gang

Investigators stated that all those arrested were acting on the instructions of Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar.Police said the attack was allegedly carried out with the intent to cause harm to the filmmaker and to instil fear and assert supremacy. Lonkar, who had claimed responsibility for the firing in a social media post, is also wanted in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique and in the firing incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra.The Mumbai Police have invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused, the official added.