One attack, an industry in fear: How gangsters weaponise social media to recruit shooters

New Delhi: The firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on 18 October has brought into focus a disturbing feature of organised crime: the ability of criminal networks to recruit young people through social media, use them to carry out attacks and leave the people they target, along with their wider professional communities, living in fear.

Shroff escaped without gunshot injuries when motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire near Pushpa Park as he was leaving after a football match. His driver and an autorickshaw driver were injured. Three suspects were subsequently arrested at Kota railway station in Rajasthan in a joint operation involving police teams from different jurisdictions.

The arrests may help investigators reconstruct the operation. But the larger question is how criminal networks recruit young shooters, connect them with handlers and arrange attacks while keeping the people directing them several steps removed from the crime scene.

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Investigators familiar with these networks describe a recruitment model built around the projection of wealth, power and a glamorous lifestyle. 

Instagram reels showcasing cash, expensive cars, weapons and other symbols of luxury attract young people seeking quick money. Some respond to the content in comments or attempt to contact the accounts behind it. Operators then approach selected individuals, assess their willingness to participate in criminal activities and offer them money for carrying out specific assignments.

Investigators have attributed the popularisation of this model to Lawrence Bishnoi, with similar methods subsequently adopted by other criminal networks, including those associated with his former associate-turned-rival Goldy Brar and Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti. 

The common thread is the use of social media to attract recruits, followed by contact through intermediaries who turn online interest into participation in criminal activity.

The method allows those directing a crime to remain separated from the person carrying it out. A recruit is offered money, given a target and supplied with a weapon, while instructions are conveyed through intermediaries. The shooters know only the person who recruited him or communicated the assignment, without knowing who ultimately authorised it.

The appeal of quick money is particularly relevant when examining the recruitment of teenagers and young adults. For some, displays of wealth and status can create the impression that criminal associates enjoy a lifestyle otherwise beyond their reach. Online attention also provide a sense of recognition and belonging. 

The process then move from an online interaction to a private conversation, followed by an offer of payment and instructions. In serious cases, recruits are drawn into shootings and other violent crimes.

The consequences extend far beyond the immediate victim. This reporter has spoken to two traders who described how fear spread through their community after one of their colleagues was attacked. The incident left the wider trading community frightened for a prolonged period, even though most of its members had not themselves been targeted.