Mumbai: Police arrested three people in connection with the NCP leader Baba Siddique murder case from Uttar Pradesh, reported PTI. The arrests were made in Uttar Pradesh in a coordinated operation with the UP police’s STF, according to an official statement. The three suspects are currently being transported to Mumbai.
Siddique was fatally shot on October 12 outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East. He sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Baba Siddique, a well-known Muslim leader in Mumbai, had connections with several Bollywood personalities, including Salman Khan. The investigation has now focused on Gautam, a resident of Gandara village in Bahraich, who, despite a clean criminal record, had recently shared posts online promoting himself as a "gangster." Gautam had been employed at a scrap shop in Pune before the shooting.
Police allege that Pravin Lonkar was responsible for recruiting two of the shooters involved in the incident. Pravin's brother, Shubham Lonkar, who remains at large, is suspected of having links to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Investigators believe Shubham and other associates planned the attack, supplying the firearms used in Siddique’s assassination.
The police are also examining a social media post allegedly from a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claims responsibility for the killing. Authorities have reached out to Facebook and Instagram for further information regarding the post.
