The Mumbai Crime Branch on Thursday (November 7) arrested two more accused in connection to the gruesome murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai earlier last month. According to the information released, the two accused (whose identities have not been ascertained) have been nabbed from Maharashtra's Pune and are said to be present before the court today. They have allegedly been arrested over their reported connection to another accused, Praveen Lonkar, who is said to have supplied them with around 50 bullets. The police said further details into their role are being investigated.
Significantly, it is pertinent to note that with the present two arrests, a total of eighteen people have been apprehended by the Mumbai Crime Branch in connection to the murder of the NCP leader. Earlier on Wednesday (November 6), the Mumbai Crime Branch had arrested 23-year-old another Gaurav Vilas Apune from Pune after his alleged role in the case first surfaced.
Speaking of the details regarding the arrest, an official stated that he (Apune) is alleged to be aware of the entire plan being made to kill the NCP leader. "His name first came to light during the questioning of some of the arrested accused. They revealed details about his involvement in the conspiracy to attack Siddique," the official stated. "He had also been promised a substantial amount of money for his role in the conspiracy. Apune had been trained in the use of firearms by some of the absconding accused," the official added.
About the Baba Siddique murder case
Former Congress leader Baba Siddique (66) was shot dead near his son Zeeshan Siddique's office on October 12 night. While he (Baba Sidiqu) was walking towards his car, three assailants (identified as Dharmaraj, Gurmail Singh, and Shivkumar) allegedly used a tear gas-like substance to create chaos before they could fire on the NCP leader. While initially Dharmaraj and Gurmail were supposed to fire, however, the third accused, Shivkumar, changed the plan and fired shots himself after he saw the presence of a heavy police force around Siddique.
The authorities reported that during the attack, Shivkumar fired six rounds at Siddique, out of which two hit him. While the three ran to escape arrest, Dharmaraj and Gurmail were caught, and Shivkumar remains absconding.
