Baba Siddique murder case: Mumbai Police on Friday (October 18) arrested five more accused persons in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, taking the total number of arrests in the sensational case to nine, said officials.
Acting on specific information, the Crime Branch conducted raids in Panvel and Karjat in Raigad district, resulting in the arrest of five persons. As per the officials, those arrested are accused of being involved in the conspiracy and providing logistical support.
Who was arrested today?
- Nitin Gautam Sapre (32)
- Sambhaji Kishan Parbi (44)
- Ram Phoolchand Kannaujia (43)
- Pradeep Tomber (37)
- Chetan Dilip Pardhi (33)
According to police sources, Nitin and Ram Kannaujia were the leaders of these accused. This group was responsible for supplying weapons to the shooters involved in the crime.
Police revealed that both shooters, along with Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar, had stayed in Karjat for some time, where these people provided financial support and local assistance to the accused. The group was also in contact with Zeeshan Akhtar and Shubham Lonkar.
Nitin has three cases against him, including murder, attempted murder, and violations of the Arms Act. Ram Kumar also faces several charges. The weapons were reportedly supplied to the accused around September.
Nine arrested so far
The arrested persons were also in touch with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which is accused of gunning down Siddique, the officials added. "The total number of arrests in the case now stands at nine. Further probe is underway," he added.
The four persons arrested earlier include two alleged shooters who were overpowered by police and passersby at the spot itself.
Baba Siddique's murder
Former Congress leader, Baba Siddique (66) was shot dead near Zeeshan Siddique's office on October 12 night. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead.
When Baba Siddique was walking towards his car, the attackers allegedly used a tear gas-like substance. Following this, absconding accused Shivkumar Gautam fired six rounds from a 9 mm pistol and fled. According to sources, the other two accused did not fire but were carrying pistols and 28 live cartridges.
Baba Siddique was close to several Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, who had received threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang in the past.
(With PTI inputs)
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