Kaithal shooter among 3 held for Siddique murder; Jalandhar man ‘handler’

The links to the murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique have emerged in Haryana and Punjab as one of the two alleged shooters arrested in the case, Gurmail Baljit Singh, is a resident of Kaithal while Jalandhar’s Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar is learnt to have provided logistics to the killers.

A Mumbai court remanded Gurmail in police custody till October 21 and directed the police to conduct a bone ossification test to determine the age of the second arrested shooter, a native of Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, who claimed he was a minor. The third shooter, Shiv Kumar, also from Bahraich, was on the run, the police said.

Gurmail (23) had a prior criminal history, including a murder case against him, and remained in jail for four years, the police said. His family members said they had disowned him 11 years ago and have called for exemplary punishment for his actions.

Zeeshan (21), who is from Shakar village in Nakodar, was arrested by the Jalandhar police in 2022 on the charges of organised crime, murder and robbery. Police sources said he allegedly provided information about Siddique’s location to the three shooters at the time of the killing.

He also allegedly assisted them with logistic support, including arranging rental accommodation. The Jalandhar police, however, are tight-lipped on the matter. SSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said, “No arrest has been made from Jalandhar, nor have the Mumbai police contacted us so far.” Police sources said Zeeshan was imprisoned in Patiala Jail where he reportedly connected with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He allegedly joined the gang following his release from jail on June 7 this year.

The Mumbai police also arrested a 28-year-old man from Pune who along with his brother “enlisted” two of the three alleged shooters, Gurmail and Shiv Kumar, an official said. The police called the man, Pravin Lonkar, a “co-conspirator” and said they were on the lookout for his brother Shubham Lonkar. This is the third arrest in the case.

The murder of Siddique (66) in upscale Bandra on Saturday night triggered a fiery exchange between the opposition and the ruling BJP even as a purported viral social media post claimed the role of Bishnoi gang in the crime. The Mumbai police said they had launched a probe from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project. They said they were also verifying the purported post on the Bishnoi gang link.

Siddique was waylaid and shot at by three men at Mumbai’s Bandra just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office. He was taken to Lilavati Hospital where he was declared “brought dead”. The police have recovered two pistols and 28 cartridges from the two arrested accused. “The police have set up 15 teams, which have been fanned out of Maharashtra and the investigation is on to identify who provided logistical support to the shooters,” said DCP Datta Nalawade.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the police had found some leads and different angles were being probed. The murder of the NCP leader, who represented Bandra (West) seat three times as a Congress MLA, is suspected to be a pre-planned act, a police official said.

Siddique, a prominent Muslim leader, was known to be close to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt. He was a popular figure in Bollywood circles and earned praise for supplying life-saving medicines to patients during Covid. He was also known for his grand Iftar parties that were attended by top actors. Incidentally, a few Bishnoi gang members were recently arrested for firing outside Salman’s Mumbai residence in April this year.

The police told the Mumbai court that they wanted to probe if the murder was a fallout of a political rivalry as Maharashtra Assembly polls were around the corner. According to the police, the arrested shooters had stayed in Mumbai and Pune for a few days before the firing incident. Meanwhile, the Congress led the opposition attack demanding a thorough investigation into the former MLA’s killing and said Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis should take moral responsibility for “law and order failure” in the state and resign.

The BJP slammed the opposition for indulging in “petty politics” over the murder. Siddique’s party chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said the murder should not be politicised. BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said Sena (UBT) and Congress leaders were making “petty statements”. “Baba Siddique was a great human being.... Two of those involved in his murder have been caught and a probe is on to find out those who were behind this,” he said.

The Congress alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra had failed to protect its own leaders and the people of Mumbai who feel scared, claiming it was trying to postpone the election dates through these incidents. “It is a government that is on its last legs. With this, the countdown for its exit has begun,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X. His party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi said the Maharashtra Government must take responsibility and order a thorough and transparent investigation.