New Delhi:

The plot to kill former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was hatched over 100 km away in Pune months ago during several meetings. The shooters were given Rs 50,000 as an advance, Baba Siddique’s photo and a flex banner to “identify the target”, the cops revealed. 

Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12 outside his son’s office in Mumbai. Three shooters – Gurmel Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam from Uttar Pradesh killed – Baba Siddique. The cops have arrested Gurmel and Dharmaraj, the third shooter on the run.

Yesterday, the cops got a breakthrough when Pravin Lonkar – an alleged co-conspirator – was arrested. The initial investigation has revealed new details on how the plan to assassinate Mr Siddique was hatched.

Mumbai crime 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.

Meanwhile, sources told NDTV that the accused have claimed that they work for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Bishnoi, who is lodged at Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, was also involved in the shooting incident outside the Mumbai residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is known to have been a close friend of Baba Siddique.

Police said the Lonkar brothers are 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 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 were given an advance of Rs 50,000 each. They purchased a motorcycle to monitor Mr Siddique’s routine, officials said.

Pravin Lonkar is accused of drafting two shooters to target Siddique and identified by police as a “co-conspirator”.

The cops are on the hunt to catch the suspected “handler”, Mohammad Yasin Akhtar, and shooter Gautam, who allegedly fired at the senior politician.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the third accused in the Baba Siddique murder case will be arrested “soon”.

The investigation disclosed that it was Gautam who called Kashyap 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 last year 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. Investigations have revealed that the three accused used to travel from Kurla (where they lived on rent) to Bandra every day, mostly in auto rickshaws, and recce the places Baba Siddiqui and his son used to frequent. These places included areas around their house, office, and the events they attended.

Gautam fired on Mr Siddique while Kashyap and Gurmel Singh stood behind him. Kashyap was carrying pepper spray which he used on Siddique after he was shot.

While Kashyap and Gurmer Singh were arrested from the spot in Bandra, Gautam fled.

In a purported post on Facebook, Shubham Lonkar attributed the attack to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. This post has since been deleted, but screenshots have circulated widely. The Mumbai Police are now coordinating with social media platforms to trace its origins.

The probe found that Shubham Lonkar gave the shooters guns and ammunition. He was incarcerated in a separate arms case registered against him in Akola district in January.

Police have confiscated two pistols, 28 live rounds, and four mobile phones from the suspects, which are being analysed for further insights into the conspiracy, the official said.

The crime branch is trying to identify the persons with whom the Lonkar brothers were in touch.

“We are investigating all possible angles, including the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” the official said, adding that the persons involved in the crime were assigned particular tasks.

On the possibility of Mumbai Police questioning Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Sabarmati Jail, the official said a proposal had been sent to the Home Department for his custody in a case registered earlier.

– With inputs from PTI

New Delhi:

After veteran NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead near his son’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra last night, a political slugfest has erupted over the killing between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties. While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has requested not to “politicise” the incident, Opposition leaders, notably from the Congress, have slammed the ruling dispensation over what they describe as a “collapse of law and order.”

Mr Siddique, 66, a prominent political figure known for his three-time stint as an MLA from Bandra West, was gunned down by unknown attackers outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East last night. According to the police, Mr Siddique sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the chest, and died of his injuries at Lilavati Hospital later that night.

READ | Baba Siddique Shooters Claim To Be From Lawrence Bishnoi Gang: Sources

Following the murder, Mumbai Police arrested two suspects who claimed to belong to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, incarcerated at Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, was also involved in the shooting incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is known to have been a close friend of Mr Siddique.

Political Slugfest

“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,” wrote Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed similar sentiments, calling Mr Siddique’s murder “shocking beyond words.” In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Kharge said, “The tragic demise of former Maharashtra Minister, Baba Siddique, is shocking beyond words. In this hour of grief, I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra government must order a thorough and transparent investigation. The culprits must be brought to book at the earliest. Accountability is paramount.”

READ | Strongman To Bollywood Mediator, Baba Siddique Beyond Lavish Iftar Parties

“The news of the murder of senior Maharashtra leader Baba Siddiqui is extremely sad. I pray to God to give the deceased a high place in heaven and give patience and courage to the family. What name will you give to such criminal incidents that are continuously happening in Maharashtra under the NDA rule?” asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that the ruling Mahayuti Alliance – comprising the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), BJP, and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – wasted no time in cracking down on the culprits.

“The Maharashtra government of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar’s NDA government caught two accused within 24 hours. The search for the third accused is underway, and he will also be caught soon,” Mr Bhandari said. “Politics should not be done on this. Baba Siddique was a big leader. In Maharashtra, no one can escape the law. CM Eknath Shinde is personally monitoring the investigation.”

READ | Baba Siddique’s Shooters Lived In Rented House, Did Recce For Weeks: 5 Points

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal appreciated the state’s quick response while taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi.

“The unfortunate incident that happened with Baba Siddique can’t be condemned enough and we are all sad about this…but state government immediately sprung into action, some accused were arrested, nobody can show promptness more than this. When it comes to Rahul Gandhi and some other people, I am sad about the fact that they look for politics in such incidents as well. When Rahul Gandhi is asking questions about the law and order situation, he should also comment on the law and order situation of the states where his party is in power,” said Mr Khandelwal

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also urged the Opposition to not politicise the murder.

“We are very sad that our friend is lost. The opposition should not politicise this matter,” Mr Pawar said, adding that five teams have been formed and sent to other states to investigate the case. 

Law Enforcement’s Challenge

According to the police, out of the three shooters, two have been arrested – Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh – and one has been identified as Shiv Kumar, also from UP. A fourth person, believed to be the handler, is on the run.

The suspects had been monitoring Mr Siddique for months, conducting reconnaissance of his residence and office. The police revealed that the suspects had been paid Rs 50,000 each in advance for the hit and that arms had been delivered to them only days before the assassination.

Both arrested suspects are now in police custody, and the hunt for the others continues. Mumbai Police have also heightened the security around Salman Khan’s residence.