Baba Siddique Murder HIGHLIGHTS: Co-conspirator held from Pune, murder sparks political storm

Baba Siddique laid to rest with full state honours at Bada Qabrastan in Mumbai.

 Pravin Lonkar, the 28-year-old brother of Shubham Lonkar, has been arrested from Pune. He is one of the conspirators who, along with Shubham Lonkar, enlisted Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam in the plot. Further investigation is underway, said Mumbai Police.

Baba Siddique to be laid to rest with full state honours at Bada Qabrastan in Mumbai.

State honour accorded to NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was murdered in Mumbai last night.

Mumbai: Namaz offered outside the residence of Baba Siddique in Bandra.

Another accused in Baba Siddiqui murder case arrested. Zeeshan Akhtar was arrested from Jalandhar.

Mortal remains of late NCP leader Baba Siddique taken to Mumbai's Bada Qabrastan for funeral.

"As soon as Baba Siddique was murdered, police acted quickly and arrested two of the killers who were present at the spot and recovered murder weapons from them. One accused is on the run and police are trying to nab him. Soon, we will find out who is behind this murder. Government will find them and strictly punish them," said Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.

Security tightened outside Mumbai's Bada Qabrastan where late NCP leader Baba Siddique will be laid to rest. 

RPI(A) chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says, "Baba Siddique was a minority leader, but he was also attracted to the Dalit community. We had been friends for many years... We had never imagined something like this would happen. The murderers should be punished and those behind this should also be arrested... This is a great loss for Mahayuti..."

Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Aditi Tatkare reaches Baba Siddique's residence.

Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin arrived at the residence of Baba Siddique in Bandra, Mumbai.

Baba Siddique Murder case: Court sent accused Gurmail Singh to Mumbai Crime Branch custody till October 21.

Baba Siddiqui murder case: As per the sources, fourth accused have been identified as Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar. Zeeshan Akhtar was giving directions to the three shooters.

The picture was taken at Juhu Beach a few days back.

Mumbai: Mumbai Crime Branch has recovered 28 live cartridges from the accused. They may also be associated with some international gang. Police have demanded 14 days of police custody of the accused.

Accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, identified as Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap brought to Esplanade Court.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said, "It is a very unfortunate incident. it shows that the law and order has crumbled in Mumbai and Maharashtra. This is a failure of the Mahayuti government, the CM and the intelligence unit of the police. The CM and Home Minister should resign as they have no moral responsibility to hold their respective posts now."

Those involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique will not be spared, the BJP asserted and slammed the opposition parties for indulging in "petty politics" on the crime. The murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique prompted the opposition to question the law and order situation in the state, where the assembly elections are expected to be held next month. "Baba Siddique was a great human being. We are all saddened by his murder. Two of those involved in his murder have been caught and probe is on to find out those who were behind this," BJP national spokesperson and former Union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said.

Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar on Sunday demanded a high-level probe into the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai, asserting that the incident raises questions over the law and order state in Maharashtra. Siddique (66) was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot at on Saturday night.

Congress leader Rashid Alvi said, "He was a well-known politician of Maharashtra. Earlier, he was in our party, then he joined Ajit Pawar's faction. He was provided with security. Despite that, he was shot by strangers. It is a concerning matter. Is there no law and order? If Baba Siddique can be murdered like this, then how the common man of Maharashtra would feel safe? This should be investigated...The arrests made in the case are suspicious. I think those arrests were made just to hide the incompetence of the police there. This matter should be investigated by CBI."

Accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, identified as Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap were brought to a hospital for medical examination before they were produced in Esplanade Court in Mumbai.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said police have found some leads in connection with the killing of NCP leader and former state minister Baba Siddique. Different angles behind the killing were being probed, but police will talk about it later, Fadnavis, who holds charge of the state home department, told reporters in Gondia district. "Everyone of us has been shocked due this horrific and tragic incident. Baba Siddique was very close to me, we had worked together for years," Fadnavis said.

Police on Sunday said they were verifying a social media post in which an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. The veracity of the post is yet to be examined.

One of the accused Gurmail Singh's grandmother said, "He was my grandson, but he is nothing to me now. He has not been in contact...". Gurmail was arrested by the Mumbai Police soon after he, along with two others, killed NCP leader Baba Siddique.

Maharashtra Deputy CM & Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "This is a sad and serious incident. I had a close friendship with Baba Siddique. We are all shocked by this kind of incident. Two accused in this case have been arrested. The investigation is going on. After getting the custody of the accused today, the police will conduct a briefing. The theories that are coming are not official. Some angles are being noticed and an investigation is underway... He (Sharad Pawar) only wants power even after such a serious incident."

RJD leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav expressed shock at the murder of NCP leader, asserting that the incident exposed the “crumbling” law and order situation in Maharashtra. “The incident is shocking and saddening. I knew him personally as he was a native of Bihar’s Gopalganj district. If such an incident can take place in a city like Mumbai, especially in the Bandra area, one could say that no one is safe there. . .This shows the crumbling law and order situation in that state. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time.”

The Mumbai police have launched a probe into the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project, officials said on Sunday. The murder of the NCP leader, who represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the assembly. is suspected to be a pre-planned act, a police official said.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, said, "People of not only Maharashtra but the entire country are scared of the incident of NCP leader being shot dead in public in Mumbai. They have created more or less the same atmosphere in Delhi as well. These people want to bring gangster rule in the entire country. The public will now have to stand against them."

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said, "Who is behind all this, will be known in 2-3 days." Siddiqui had joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP only this year.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday expressed "deep shock" over the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique and alleged that the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra has utterly failed to maintain law and order. Former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai on Saturday, following which two of the assailants were arrested.

The murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique is suspected to be a pre-planned act, a Mumbai police official said on Sunday. Police have also said the crime branch has launched a probe into the case from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project. While two of the alleged assailants have been arrested, another accused is on the run and efforts are on to trace him, police said. The arrested accused have been identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), resident of Haryana, and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), native of Uttar Pradesh, as per the police. 

A team from the Special Cell of the Delhi Police is set to be dispatched to Mumbai to assist in the investigation of the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, police sources said on Sunday. Baba Siddique (66) was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot at on Saturday night. The former Maharashtra minister was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Since September 2 of this year, the three accused (one is still absconding) had been living in a rented house in Kurla, the sources said, the rent for this house was Rs 14,000 per month. The contract for the murder was between Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh. Four people were hired for the murder, and they planned to split the money equally, with each receiving Rs 50,000. Out of the four accused, three had previously been imprisoned together in a Punjab jail, where they came into contact with a member of the Bishnoi gang who was already in jail, the sources claimed. Through him, the three accused joined the Bishnoi gang. Crime Branch teams have been dispatched to Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Delhi, and Haryana.

According to the sources, the absconding accused, Shiv Kumar used to work for a scrap dealer in Pune. The person who gave them the contract had arranged the meeting of Gurmail with Shiva and Dharamraj.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "There's BJP government in Mumbai and you can see the law and order situation, their leader has been murdered. In Delhi too, the law and order is under the central government and here too the situation is becoming like Mumbai. BJP's central and state governments spend all their time in politics, they don't have time for governance...We don't know if action will be taken or not but has it happened that so many gangsters have become active in Delhi and Mumbai, is the government encouraging them? This is a very serious situation."

The arrested accused revealed the name of their third absconding shooter as Shiv Kumar, who led the murder conspiracy. Mumbai Police's raid in three states by 15 teams continued in search of Kumar. 

According to the sources, the probable motive behind the murder of Baba Siddique is a Bandra slum redevelopment project, which the NCP leader had protested. The slum redevelopment was to be done in Mumbai's Bandra area. Siddique was against the redevelopment and has protested it. Regarding the objection to this project, Siddique's son and MLA Zeeshan was booked in August at Kherwadi Police Station. 

Zeeshan Siddique, son of Baba Siddique, posted on Social media informing about the schedule of the last rites of his father who was killed in Mumbai on Saturday night.

"*Inna lillahi wa Inna ilayhi raji'un* With Immense Grief, We inform you that Our Beloved *Shri. Baba Siddique*, Father of MLA  *Shri. Zeeshan Baba Siddique*  & *Dr. Arshia Siddique* & Husband of *Mrs. Shehzeen Siddique* has left for his Heavenly Abode. Namaz E Janaza - Today  *13th October, Sunday at 7 pm* after Magrib Namaz at Maqba Heights, 15 A, Pali Road, Pali Naka, Bandra(W). Burial  - Today *13th October,Sunday at 8:30 pm* at  Bada Kabarastan, Opp Marine Lines Station," his post read.

The police have so far arrested two assailants named Gurmel Singh, hailing from Haryana's Kaithal and Dharmraj Kashyap, belonging to UP's Behraich. The police have identified a third accused named Shiv Kumar alias Shiv Gautam, also a resident of UP's Behraich.

According to sources, investigation agencies are preparing to question gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat. The police will soon question the gagster to verify Baba Siddiqui's shooters. Legal advice is being taken for this because permission from the court is required for interrogation. According to the sources, Zigana pistol was the first choice of Lawrence's shooters.  However, the shooters have fired at Baba Siddiqui with a 9mm pistol.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader and LoP Lok Sabha targeted the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra after the murder of former state minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique. "The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail," Gandhi said in an X post.

Two persons were arrested immediately after the incident. According to sources, the shooters have claimed association with Lawrence Bishnoi's gang during the interrogation. Earlier, senior Maharashtra politician and NCP leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead on Saturday night outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar. 

Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead when he was sitting in a Range Rover car. The visual showed bullets pierced the window of the car. Earlier, it was reported that he was sitting in a Mahindra XUV700. Now, the sources clarified that the car was a Range Rover.

Baba Siddique had represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the assembly. A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known be close to several Bollywood stars.

Nationalist Congress Party leader (NCP - Ajit Pawar) and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai's Bandra area on Saturday. He was attacked outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra East.