Baba Siddique murder case: Mumbai Police on Tuesday detained a person from Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich. The detained person works as a scrap dealer in Pune. The two accused Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shiv Kumar alias Shiv Gautam also used to work at a scrap shop in Pune. Police nabbed him near the scrap shop, located at the Bhalekar Chowk in Pune's Warje area.
"In connection with Baba Siddiqui's murder case, Harishkumar Balakram (23), a resident of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has been apprehended. He was working as a scrap dealer in Pune. He was part of the conspiracy, he supplied money and other logistics. Further investigation is underway," said News Agency ANI quoting Mumbai Crime Branch officials.
Bag with gun inside recovered from near the crime scene
In another development, the police recovered a black bag from near the crime scene. There was a gun inside the bag which was recovered by the police after interrogating the accused.
Siddique (66), a former Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot dead on Saturday night.
Baba Siddique murder plot hatched in Pune: Police
Meanwhile, police said the conspiracy to kill Siddique was hatched in Pune and shooters were provided with a photo and a flex banner for the target identification. Mumbai crime branch probing the sensational murder case exposed the alleged role of Pune-based Pravin Lonkar and his brother Shubham Lonkar in the plot.
"The motive behind the killing will be ascertained once the wanted accused are arrested," a police official said.
Police have identified the Lonkar brothers as the key figures in the crime. The duo allegedly financed the shooters, coordinated logistics, and orchestrated meetings leading up to the attack. Pravin worked at a dairy owned by Shubham, where they recruited shooters Shivkumar Gautam and Dharmaraj Kashyap, who had connections to a nearby scrap shop.
The conspiracy took shape over several meetings, with promises of substantial payment upon successful execution of the plan. The shooters received an advance of Rs 50,000 each. They purchased a motorcycle to conduct reconnaissance on Siddique’s routine and his residence, officials said.
Pravin Lonkar is accused of drafting two shooters to target Siddique and identified by police as a "co-conspirator".
Four arrests so far in the sensational murder case
Police have so far arrested four persons - Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a resident of Haryana, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), a native of Uttar Pradesh -- both alleged shooters, Pravin Lonkar and scrap dealer Harishkumar Balakram (23). Police have widened the dragnet for suspected "handler" Mohammad Yasin Akhtar and Gautam, who allegedly pumped bullets into Siddique's chest.
The investigation disclosed that it was Gautam who called Kashyap, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, to work with him in Pune three months ago, the police official said. Subsequently, Gautam relocated to Vinoba Bhave Nagar locality in Kurla in Mumbai in September 2023 and started staying on rent. He roped in Singh in the conspiracy, he said.
All three shooters- Singh, Kashyap, and Gautam- were paid Rs 50,000 each upfront. They purchased a bike to conduct a recce of the office of Baba Siddique and his routine, the official said.
The trio constantly remained in touch with their handlers on their mobile phones until Saturday night when Siddique was fatally shot.
