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. 

New Delhi:

Shiv Kumar Gautam, the main accused in the murder case of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, has made big revelations during police interrogation. The 20-year-old was arrested along with his four aides from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich on Sunday while he was trying to flee to Nepal. He is among the three shooters who shot dead Mr Siddique outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai on October 12.

During interrogation, he told the police that Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had told him to shoot the 66-year-old NCP leader or his son, Zeeshan, police sources said.

“Shoot whoever you see first,” Anmol apparently told Shiv Kumar.

Before carrying out the murder, Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in Canada and is also on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency, had given a pep talk to Shiv Kumar.

Mumbai police crime branch sources said Anmol told him what he was going to do was for “God and the society.”

A picture of Zeeshan Siddique, 32, was reportedly found on a cell phone seized from one of the three men who shot his father.

Shiv Kumar Gautam Changed Clothes After Baba Siddique Murder

After killing Baba Siddique, Shiv Kumar Gautam immediately changed his shirt and disappeared into the crowd so that no one could identify him, Mumbai police crime branch sources.

He then stayed near the crime scene to avoid any confrontation.

The 20-year-old then initially travelled from the crime scene to Kurla in an auto and then boarded a local train to Thane, sources said.

From Thane, he took a train to Pune and dumped his mobile phone during the journey.

Shiv Kumar stayed in Pune for about seven days and then went to Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi by train. He then stayed there for five days and went to the state capital Lucknow.

In Lucknow, he bought a new mobile and contacted his aides. After spending 11 days there, he travelled to his native Bahraich and met his aides, who had arranged a safehouse for him in a nearby village.

Shiv Kumar also said that after killing Baba Siddique, he first planned to go to Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain and then to Vaishno Devi in Jammu before fleeing the country.

How Cops Caught Shiv Kumar Gautam

The police traced about 45 people, including Shiv Kumar Gautam’s family members and his close aides, and tracked their movements after Baba Siddique’s murder.

During the investigation, they zeroed down to four people who were constantly in contact with Shiv Kumar, police sources said.

The police then laid a trap and waited for those four accused to meet Shiv Kumar. They then caught him from the Nanpara area of Bahraich on Sunday.

He was arrested in a joint operation by the police officials of Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.

Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh were also arrested for giving shelter to Shiv Kumar and helping him escape to Nepal.

The police have so far arrested 20 in the case.

Baba Siddique was murdered apparently because of his close relationship with actor Salman Khan. Lawrence Bishnoi’s associates have hinted that the grouse against Mr Khan is about the blackbucks he killed 20 years ago. Blackbucks are sacred to the Bishnoi community.

New Delhi:

Shiv Kumar Gautam, the main accused in the murder case of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich on Sunday. Sources said he was trying to flee to Nepal.

Shiv Kumar, along with two other accused — Gurnail Singh, a resident of Haryana and Dhramraj Kashyap of Uttar Pradesh — shot dead Mr Siddique, 66, outside his politician son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai on October 12.

While Singh and Kashyao were arrested immediately after the attack, Shiv Kumar had managed to flee.

Shiv Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was caught in a joint operation by the police officials of Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai from the Nanpara area of Bahraich.

During interrogation, he apparently said they were in Mumbai for days conducting recce for the NCP leader and on the night of October 12, “When we got the right time, we killed Baba Siddique”.

Police sources said Shiv Kumar has also admitted that he is linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The murder, he allegedly said, was carried out on the instructions of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Anmol’s name has also cropped up in the murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, and the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai in April. He is on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency, and a Rs 10 lakh reward has been announced for his arrest.

How Cops Caught Shiv Kumar Gautam

After the murder of Baba Siddique, Shiv Kumar had gone to Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh to meet some henchmen of the gang. The Mumbai police had tracked him to Omkareshwar but failed to catch him.

The police then traced about 45 people, including Shiv Kumar’s family members and his close aides, and tracked their movements.

During the investigation, they zeroed down to four people who were constantly in contact with Shiv Kumar, police sources said.

A house next to Shiv Kumar’s residence was apparently made a safe house for him. The police then laid a trap and waited for those four accused to meet Shiv Kumar. They then caught him and his four aides there on Sunday.

Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh were arrested for giving shelter to Shiv Kumar and helping him escape to Nepal. The police have so far arrested 20 in the case.

Baba Siddique was murdered apparently because of his close relationship with actor Salman Khan. Lawrence Bishnoi’s associates have hinted that the grouse against Mr Khan is about the blackbucks he killed 20 years ago. Blackbucks are sacred to the Bishnoi community.

Investigators said Baba Siddique’s son and Mumbai MLA Zeeshan Siddique is also a target for the same reason. His photo was reportedly found on a cell phone seized from one of the three men who shot his father.

Mumbai:

Making the second such arrest in quick succession, the Mumbai Police have arrested a man for threatening to kill actor Salman Khan. 

The Mumbai Traffic Police’s control room had received an anonymous message threatening to kill the actor if Rs 2 crore was not given as ransom. A case was registered by the Mumbai Police and, officials said, Azam Mohammad Mustafa – a resident of Bandra East – was arrested on Wednesday. 

Earlier this week, Gufran Khan, a 20-year-old tattoo artist from Noida, had been arrested for threatening Salman Khan and Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique. 

Mr Siddique is the son of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Bandra on October 12. Baba Siddique was known to be close to Salman Khan and had played a role in ending the actor’s five-year-long cold war with Shah Rukh Khan in 2013.

The tattoo artist, who had been arrested by the Mumbai Police, said he had planned to send another threatening message to demand money but was apprehended before he could do so.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility for the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra in April and, in a Facebook post, also said it was responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder. 

The post from the handle of one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claimed that Siddique had been killed because he was linked to India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was close to Salman Khan and because of the death of Anuj Thapan, one of the arrested suspects in the shooting outside Mr Khan’s house, in police custody.

“We do not have any enmity with anyone but whoever helps Salman Khan and the Dawood gang, keep your accounts in order (‘hisaab-kitaab kar lena’),” Lonkar wrote in Hindi in the Facebook post.

Why Salman Khan?

The Bishnoi gang, which became a household name after claiming responsibility for murdering musician Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022, has said it wants to kill Salman Khan because of his alleged involvement in shooting blackbucks at Bawad in Mathania near Jodhpur in September 1998, during the filming of ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’.

The alleged act had upset the Bishnoi community, which considers the blackbuck sacred.

Lawrence Bishnoi had said during a court appearance in 2018: “We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now, they are accusing me of crimes for no reason.”

Mumbai:

The masterminds of the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique had promised to obtain a passport based on fake documents for one of the shooters so that he could escape abroad, police said here on Thursday.

They also paid the shooter, Gurnail Singh (23), Rs 50,000, a police official told PTI.

Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead outside the office of his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique in the Bandra area here on October 12.

Gurnail and another alleged shooter Dharmaraj Kashyap were arrested immediately after the attack, whereas their accomplice Shivkumar Gautam managed to flee.

Gurnail Singh, a resident of Kaithal in Haryana, had a murder case registered against him in 2019, the official said.

He had fear of being convicted in that case and wanted to flee the country, as per the probe. The conspirators promised to help him leave India by obtaining a passport based on fake documents for him, the police official said.

Shivkumar, Dharmaraj and Gurnail were from the “second module” of the shooters who were in contact with `conspirator’ Shubham Lonkar and `mastermind’ Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar, he said.

Shivkumar and Dharmaraj were allegedly paid Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh to execute the killing.

As per the Mumbai crime branch which is investigating the case, a “module” based in Thane, comprising Nitin Sapre and Ram Kanoujia, initially received the contract to kill Siddique.

They conducted a recce of Siddique’s house and office for several days, the official said, adding that Rupesh Mohol (21), Karan Salvi (19) and Shivam Kohad (20) were also with them. Mohol, Salvi and Kohad were arrested from Pune on Thursday.

Sapre and Kanoujia demanded Rs 50 lakh for executing the killing, but the conspirators felt the sum was too big. The module led by Sapre then backed out, and a new set of shooters, including Gurnail Singh, was engaged by the conspirators, the official said.

Before that, Kanoujia had visited Udaipur with Bhagwatsingh Omsingh (also arrested) on July 7 to get the pistols that were eventually used in the crime.

The conspiracy to kill Siddique was hatched in the second half of June. As the weapons were sourced from north India, Mumbai police suspect that those who ordered the hit on Siddique were based in that part of the country, the official said.

Wanted accused Zeeshan Akhtar, who is from Jalandhar, was in Haryana in July and stayed at the residence of Amit Hisamsingh Kumar. Amit Kumar, now arrested, was an important link between Akhtar and Gurnail Singh, the official said.

So far, the police have arrested 14 persons in the case. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been issued a death threat, allegedly by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, demanding Rs 5 crore to “end the enmity”. A WhatsApp message, sent to Mumbai Traffic Police, warned that if the money is not paid, then the actor’s fate would be worse than that of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was murdered recently, allegedly by Bishnoi gang members.

“Don’t take this lightly. If Salman Khan wants to stay alive and end the enmity with Lawrence Bishnoi, he must pay Rs 5 crore. If the money is not given, his condition will be worse than Baba Siddiqui’s,” the threat message read. 

According to sources, the Mumbai Police is working to track the origins of the message and have increased security around Mr Khan’s Bandra residence. The actor has been on high alert following previous threats, and this recent development has added renewed concerns about his safety.

READ | Lawrence Bishnoi Has 700 Shooters On Call. How He Operates From Jail

Yesterday, the Navi Mumbai Police arrested a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The accused, identified as Sukha alias Sukhbir Balbir Singh, was apprehended in Haryana’s Panipat and has been linked to an alleged plot to assassinate Mr Khan. Singh had reportedly given a contract to other gang members to carry out the attack on the actor.

According to police sources, Singh had been in direct contact with his handler, Dogar, a Pakistani-based figure, to coordinate the planned attack. The gang had allegedly intended to use high-powered firearms, including AK-47s, M16s, and AK-92s, smuggled from Pakistan to execute the plot. 

Singh’s arrest is the latest in a series of breakthroughs in a broader investigation into the Bishnoi gang’s conspiracy against Mr Khan. Earlier this year, the Navi Mumbai police registered an FIR against 18 individuals from the gang for plotting to kill the actor. The FIR followed a shocking incident in which members of the gang fired outside Mr Khan’s Bandra residence.

READ | “Wanted Canada To Extradite Bishnoi Gang Members”: India On Diplomatic Row

Among the accused named in the case are high-profile members of the Bishnoi gang, including Lawrence Bishnoi himself, his brother Anmol, Sampat Nehra, Goldie Brar, and Rohit Godhara. These individuals have long been linked to organised criminal activity across North India and have become notorious for their brazen threats and acts of violence.

The ongoing police investigation has uncovered disturbing details about the gang’s planning. Police sources revealed that the Bishnoi gang had deployed between 60 to 70 operatives to monitor Mr Khan’s movements. These individuals conducted reconnaissance at various locations, including Mr Khan’s Bandra residence, his Panvel farmhouse, and the actor’s shooting locations. The gang even attempted to recruit minors to act as sharpshooters.

This is not the first time Mr Khan has been the target of death threats linked to the Bishnoi gang. In 2022, a letter threatening the actor was discovered on a bench near his residence, and in March 2023, the actor received an email allegedly sent by members of the gang. In January 2024, two unidentified individuals attempted to trespass into Mr Khan’s Panvel farmhouse using fake identities, an incident that prompted the actor to increase security around his property.

Mr Khan’s feud with Lawrence Bishnoi dates back several years. The gangster, currently imprisoned, has reportedly harboured a grudge against the actor over his alleged involvement in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The Bishnoi community reveres the blackbuck, and the incident is the primary reason why the gang seeks revenge. 

Mumbai:

In his first reaction after his father and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead last week, Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique has said he and his family want justice. Mr Siddique also made an appeal that his father’s death should not be politicised and nor should it go in vain.

In a post on X on Thursday, Zeeshan Siddique wrote: “My father lost his life protecting and saving the lives and homes of poor innocent people. Today, my family is broken but his death must not be politicised and definitely not go in vain. I NEED JUSTICE, MY FAMILY NEEDS JUSTICE!”

Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three men outside Zeeshan’s Bandra East office around 9.30 pm on Dussehra, October 13. Police had said six bullets were fired at him, four of which hit him and another hit an aide in the leg. Siddique was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Two of the shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested soon after the murder while Shiv Kumar Gautam, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, is on the run.

On Sunday, Kashyap had claimed in a Mumbai court that his age was 17 despite his Aadhar card stating that he was 19, and a bone ossification test had been ordered. On Monday, the results of the test proved that he is not a minor.

Police sources said the suspects have claimed that they work for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, and the same claim was made in a social media post on Sunday. The Facebook post was made on the handle of one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claiming responsibility for the murder.

Police said the post was made by Lonkar’s brother, Pravin, who was arrested from Pune on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, another arrest was made in the case –  that of Harishkumar Balakram, 23, from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Balakram worked as a scrap dealer in Pune and officials said he was part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique.

The alleged handler of the three shooters, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, is also on the run. 

Congress To NCP Switch

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

The NCP leader was murdered ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and the opposition has attacked the Eknath Shinde-led ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena coalition over the law-and-order situation in the state.

After the killing, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar had 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 Siddique and condolences to his family,” he wrote in Marathi on X. 

Chief Minister Shinde said law and order had deteriorated under the alliance led by the opposition coalition, which is known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and promised that the people responsible for Siddique’s killing would not be spared. 

Mumbai:

Investigation into the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique has revealed details of the planning behind the operation which included the acquisition of a substantial cache of bullets, YouTube firearms training, and the careful orchestration of getaway plans. The plotters aimed to ensure the murder was executed with precision, taking no chances on ammunition or escape routes.

So far, four individuals have been arrested, including Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters; Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23), and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar, who belongs to Pune.

Nisad and Kashyap belong to the same village as the wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam. 

According to police sources, the accused responsible for Mr Siddique’s murder – Gurmail Singh (23) and Dharamaraj Kashyap (19) – were equipped with 65 bullets, a stockpile intended to guarantee they would not run out of ammunition. Six of these bullets were fired on the night of October 12, when Mr Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in the Nirmal Nagar area in Bandra.

Authorities have recovered two firearms used by the accused – an Austrian-made pistol and a locally manufactured country-made pistol. Alongside these weapons, police found 28 live bullets on Singh and Kashyap at the time of their arrest. The investigative team also discovered a black bag, located just a short distance from the murder site, containing a Turkish-made 7.62 bore pistol and 30 live rounds. This bag also held two Aadhar cards – one in the name of Shivkumar Gautam, who is also a suspect in the case, and another under the name Sumit Kumar, though both cards bore Shivkumar’s photo.

Motorbike Plan Foiled By Accident

According to the police, the accused had initially planned to carry out the attack using a motorbike. The idea was for the shooters to ride up to the location, execute the murder, and then escape quickly by bike. However, a traffic accident involving two of the suspects caused them to abandon this plan. Instead, the three perpetrators decided to travel by auto-rickshaw to the site of the crime. After the murder, they quickly changed their clothes to avoid detection.

Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, one of the arrested co-conspirators, had transferred Rs 60,000 for the purchase of a motorbike. Out of this amount, Rs 32,000 was used to buy a second-hand bike, which was intended to be used in the assassination.

Manhunt And Escape Attempts

The investigation has revealed the involvement of several suspects, with the prime accused, Shubham Lonkar, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who is still at large. Mumbai Police have issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Lonkar, who is believed to be attempting to flee to Nepal. His photographs have been circulated at the Nepal border in an effort to prevent his escape.

Lonkar had remained active on social media until just three days before the murder, with responsibility for Mr Siddique’s killing reportedly being claimed via his Facebook profile on October 9. His brother, Praveen Lonkar, has been arrested for allegedly providing financial support to the killers. 

Authorities have not yet managed to track down Shubham’s exact location, but intelligence suggests he may have been in contact with key criminal networks. 

YouTube Training And Firearm Mastery

According to the police, the shooters learned to operate guns by watching YouTube tutorials. In the weeks leading up to the murder, the accused rented a house in the Kurla area of Mumbai, where they practised loading, unloading, and handling weapons. Due to a lack of open space, they engaged in “dry practice” drills and rehearsing with unloaded guns.

Investigations also revealed that Shivkumar Gautam, another prime suspect, had experience with firearms from celebratory firings at weddings in Uttar Pradesh, where he is believed to have honed his shooting skills. Gautam, described as the “main shooter,” not only participated in the planning but also trained Kashyap and Singh in the handling of guns. The trio communicated frequently via social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, using these apps to stay under police radar while coordinating the assassination plan.

Shubham Lonkar, the key suspect on the run, was previously arrested in January under the Arms Act in Maharashtra’s Akola district. His arrest had led to the seizure of more than ten firearms. 

Mumbai:

The shooters who killed Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique relied on YouTube videos to practise shooting. Accused Gurmail Singh and Dharamaraj Kashyap – who were arrested hours after they fired six rounds at Siddique – learned to shoot by watching videos on YouTube, sources said.

The police are trying to find out about the location they used to practice at, the sources added.

The Mumbai crime branch has so far recorded the statements of more than 15 people in this case, including many witnesses. The Mumbai Police also arrested one more person today – its fourth arrest – in connection with the killing of the NCP leader, claiming that he provided money and weapons for the crime.

Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23), from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, was on Tuesday remanded in police custody till October 21 by a court in Mumbai.

Accused Pravin (arrested) and Shubham Lonkar (on the run) had given Rs 2 lakh to the arrested shooters Gurmail Singh and Dharamaraj Kashyap and this money was sent through the fourth accused Harish, the police said.

Nisad worked as a scrap dealer in Warje area of Pune city, said a police official.

Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19) – the alleged shooters – were arrested on Saturday while “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar was arrested yesterday.

Three accused in the case – including another suspected shooter Shiva Lumar Gautam and Shubham Lonkar – are still on the run.

Nisad and Kashyap belong to the same village as the wanted accused Gautam.

Baba Siddique (66), a former Congress leader who had joined the Nationalist Congress Party earlier this year, was shot outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra east’s Nirmal Nagar area. He was rushed to the nearby Lilavati hospital where he was declared dead.

Pravin Lonkar was accused of “enlisting” two of the three alleged shooters. The police were also verifying a purported social media post of his brother Shubham, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, owning up to the murder of Siddique.

The police have also written to the Facebook and Instagram authorities, seeking more details about the post.

Shubham Lonkar was also picked by Mumbai Police in June this year for questioning after the firing incident outside Salman Khan’s house in Mumbai in April as the Bishnoi gang’s involvement was suspected.

But he was let off as no evidence was found. Still, he was kept under surveillance, but on September 24 he became untraceable.

The crime branch, meanwhile, has recovered a 7.62 mm gun from a black bag found near the crime scene.

Mumbai:

The Mumbai police have arrested one more person in connection with the killing of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, officials said on Tuesday. The accused has been identified as Harishkumar Balakram (23), hailing from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, an official said.

Balakram was working as a scrap dealer in Maharashtra’s Pune, he said, adding the accused was also part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique.

He was arrested from Bahraich, the official said.

With this, four persons have so far been arrested in connection with Mr Siddique’s killing.

Police had earlier arrested Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters, and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar from Pune.

Another suspected shooter Shivkumar Gautam, who hails from Bahraich, is on the run.

Baba Siddique, 66, was waylaid by three persons in Mumbai’s Nirmal Nagar area, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office, and shot at on Saturday night. He was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead, according to police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)