From Hollywood spy thrillers to Tiger Shroff murder bid: The ‘dead letter box’ trail

MUMBAI: No face-to-face meeting. Just a pre-decided location, a concealed consignment and a pickup arranged in advance, a method straight out of Hollywood spy thrillers that has now emerged as a crucial lead in the investigation into the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car.

Mumbai Police suspect that the firearms used in the attack were collected from a location in Amritsar through a method known as a “dead letter box”, news agency ANI reported. Popularised by espionage thrillers, the technique allows one person to leave an item at a designated spot for another to retrieve later, keeping the two apart and minimising direct contact.

In the case being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch, the alleged weapons pickup appears to have been part of a wider chain involving an alleged gang operative, two men tasked with collecting the firearms and two women who allegedly transported them to Mumbai. According to the ANI report, the two accused, identified as Kunal and Sumit, travelled to Amritsar around a fortnight before the firing to collect the weapons.

They were allegedly given the pickup location in advance by Anil Pandit, a Lawrence Bishnoi gang member who was reportedly in contact with Kunal through an encrypted messaging application. Investigators said the men who collected the firearms did not know who had left them at the location, ANI reported.

A spy-movie technique in a real-life investigation In espionage films, a dead letter box is a familiar method: an agent leaves a message or an object at an agreed location, and another person retrieves it later. The two never meet, reducing the chance of being identified together or directly linked through a handover.

The principle is not confined to Hollywood. Dead drops have long been associated with real-world espionage, where maintaining secrecy and protecting identities can be critical.

In the Tiger Shroff firing investigation, police suspect a similar arrangement was used to move the firearms without requiring the alleged suppliers and recipients to meet in person. The reported use of an encrypted messaging app to communicate the location adds another layer to the alleged chain of coordination.

Who arranged the weapons?According to ANI report, Pandit allegedly paid Kunal and Sumit between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 for their role in the operation. Of this amount, around Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 was allegedly paid to two women, identified as Babita and Radha, who were tasked with transporting the weapons to Mumbai.

Police suspect Kunal enlisted Radha, his girlfriend, to ferry the firearms. Radha and Babita reportedly work at a factory in Sonipat.

Sources said Kunal had met Radha around two months earlier and that she travelled to Mumbai with Babita at his request. The sequence, from the Amritsar pickup to the transportation of the weapons to Mumbai, is now part of the investigation into the suspected supply network behind the firing.

How the attack unfolded The probe follows the firing at Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu on Sunday evening. The actor escaped unhurt, while his driver sustained injuries.

The Mumbai Crime Branch has also said the shooters initially planned to target another prominent Bollywood celebrity but changed their plan after they were unable to reach that individual because of tight security. Police have not disclosed the celebrity’s identity.

Police said the accused subsequently decided to target Shroff, allegedly believing he would be an easier target. The missing links The reported dead-letter-box arrangement has brought the alleged weapons supply chain into focus, but key questions remain: who placed the firearms at the Amritsar location, who coordinated the wider operation, and how the weapons reached Mumbai.

The Crime Branch is continuing its investigation into the firing, the alleged movement of the firearms and the suspected network behind the attack. As police work to establish the links, a technique long associated with the shadowy world of espionage has become one of the striking details in a case involving an alleged plot against a Bollywood star.(With agency inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.