Overview
- Pradeep Kumar, also known as Gaath, was tracked to Agra and arrested on Thursday in a joint Uttar Pradesh STF and Mumbai Crime Branch operation, then handed to Mumbai Police for further custody.
- Senior investigators say the 22-year-old carried out a recce of Rohit Shetty’s Juhu home, pushed the shooters to act, and was present during the February 1 attack that damaged the balcony glass.
- During initial questioning, police say he admitted involvement and named associates Sunny, Deepu, and Sonu, adding that gang propaganda on Facebook and Instagram drew him into the plot.
- The case is being run by the Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell under India’s organised-crime law MCOCA, with officials citing technical analysis, inter-state coordination, and leads on funding and logistics as key to the break.
- Hindustan Times now reports this as the 15th arrest in the case, while earlier accounts put the tally lower, and police continue to hunt the alleged masterminds and probe money routes and the scooter used in the attack.