Mumbai:

The plan to assassinate former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique was conceived just 10 days after the shooting incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence on April 14, Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch sources have said. 

Two men on motorbikes fired multiple rounds outside Mr Khan’s residence in Bandra in April, leading to the arrest of several individuals. Sources revealed that following the incident, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang sought to target individuals close to the actor. Baba Siddique, a close friend of Salman Khan, emerged as a prime target. 

Investigations have revealed the gang’s reliance on “dabba calling,” an illegal telephone exchange system, to coordinate the murder. “Dabba Calling” is a term likely derived from the use of a secondary phone (dabba) to issue threats. Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, allegedly used this system extensively to instruct key operatives, including Shiv Kumar Gautam, Zeeshan Akhtar, Shubham Lonkar, and Sujit Singh.

The gang had established its own telecommunication hub. This network ensured real-time coordination during the crime while shielding the conspirators from police tracking.

Baba Siddique, aged 66, was gunned down near his son and MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s Bandra office on October 12. According to Crime Branch sources, Shiv Kumar Gautam, believed to be the lead shooter, lingered at the crime scene for 20 minutes post-attack.

Gautam discarded a bag containing his pistol, shirt, and Aadhaar card before blending into the panicked crowd. Witnessing the chaos and police presence, he took further steps to avoid detection, including changing his clothes and returning to the scene to gauge the situation.

Later, Gautam reportedly boarded an autorickshaw and headed to Lilavati Hospital to confirm Mr Siddique’s death. At 10:47 pm, he left for Kurla railway station, discarding his mobile phone en route to eliminate potential evidence. Authorities are still working to recover the device.

Further probing revealed that Shubham Lonkar, another suspect, had undergone weapons training in the dense forests near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, in July. Crime Branch officials suspect that Lonkar’s training, involving an AK-47, was facilitated by Maoists, though this connection remains under investigation. 

Shiv Kumar Gautam, the main accused in the murder case of former minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique, revealed that after the firing, he stood outside the Lilavati Hospital – where the politician was taken – to ascertain if Mr Siddique died or survived the attack, the police said.

The shooter, who quickly changed his shirt after the firing, told the police that he stood outside the hospital for 30 minutes among the crowd. He left as soon he came to know that Mr Siddique’s condition was very critical.

Mr Siddique, 66, was shot dead in Mumbai’s Bandra on October 12 at 9:11 pm, the police said. He sustained two bullet injuries on his chest and was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he passed away.

According to the accused, as per the initial plan, he was supposed to meet his aides – Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh at the Ujjain railway station – where a member of the Bishnoi gang was to take them to Vaishno Devi.

However, the plan failed as Kashyap and Singh were caught by the police.

How police arrested the main accused

Four friends of the main accused, whose late-night conversations on mobile phones raised suspicions, played a key role in helping the Mumbai police track down Gautam – who was arrested on Sunday.

The Mumbai Crime Branch and the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested Gautam along with Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava and Akhilendra Pratap Singh near the Nepal border.

According to the police, the investigation was triggered by suspicious activities of Gautam’s four friends, who were spotted purchasing clothes in various sizes and planning to meet him in a remote forest. They were in constant touch with Gautam via internet calls on mobile phones – which were purchased in Lucknow, reported PTI.

The four aides were planning to assist the main accused in fleeing the country, the police said.

Gautam, after the firing, went to Kurla from the crime scene, boarded a local train to Thane, and then fled to Pune – where he reportedly dumped his mobile phone. He stayed in Pune for around seven days and then travelled to Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi and Lucknow.

On Sunday, Gautam was found hiding in the hamlet of 10 to 15 hutments, around 10 km from Nanpara, a town in Uttar Pradesh.

Mumbai:

Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, has died after being shot at in Mumbai’s Bandra. 

Sources said the shooters fired six bullets around 9.30 pm on Saturday near the office of Mr Siddique’s son Zeeshan, who is the MLA from Bandra East. Two people have been arrested.

Mr Siddique was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital. Sources said four bullets hit the 66-year-old NCP leader and one of his aides also suffered a gunshot wound. The firing took place on Dussehra and came months ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which are expected to be held later this year. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he had spoken to police and doctors at the hospital. “The incident is extremely unfortunate. There are reports that he (Mr Siddique) has died. Two people have been arrested, one from Uttar Pradesh and one from Haryana, while another is on the run. I have asked the police to take strict action and ensure no one takes law and order into their hands. A gang-war-like situation should not be allowed to resurface in Mumbai,” he said in Marathi. 

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, has reached the hospital. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar wrote on X that he was shocked to know about Mr Siddique’s death and that he had lost a good colleague and friend.

Mr Siddique, who was a three-time MLA from Bandra West, was associated with the Congress for 48 years and had quit the party in February and joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Zeeshan Siddique was expelled from the Congress in August.

Expressing his shock, NCP Spokesperson Brijmohan Shrivastav told NDTV that Mr Siddique had not spoken about any threats from anybody. 

Mr Siddique was elected as an MLA from the Bandra West constituency in 1999, 2004 and 2009 and served as a minister of state for food and civil supplies, labour and FDA between 2004 and 2008. 

The former MLA was known not just for his political acumen but also for hosting lavish parties. A cold war between superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan was resolved at an ‘iftar’ party hosted by Mr Siddique in 2013.

Salman Khan and actor Sanjay Dutt have also reached the hospital.

Law And Order Questions

Expressing grief at the death of Mr Siddique, leaders of opposition parties also raised questions about law and order in Mumbai, asking how a politician who had Y-level security could be killed in public in an upscale area like Bandra. 

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar said people in the government should take responsibility and step down from their posts. 

“The deteriorating law and order situation in the state is a matter of concern. It is sad that former state minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. If the Home minister and the rulers will take the state’s vehicle forward with such leniency, it can be a warning sign for the common people. This not only needs to be investigated the rulers need to accept responsibility and step down from their posts. My heartfelt tribute to Baba Siddiqui and condolences to his family,” he wrote in Marathi. 

Congress leader and leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, said the state government has supported criminals.

“The shooting and killing of former minister of state and former MLA Baba Siddique, who had Y-level security, is very shocking and tragic. I am praying for strength to his family in this difficult time. A big leader in the state has been shot like this. We keep saying that Maharashtra has become Uttar Pradesh. Mumbai was peaceful but such incidents are happening here now because there is no fear of the police in the city. The government has supported criminals,” the Congress leader wrote in Marathi.

In his post on X, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the incident would be thoroughly investigated and strict action would be taken against the attackers.