Baba Siddique killers were paid in advance, received firearms days ago

Baba Siddique shot dead in Mumbai: The Mumbai Police suspected that the murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was a pre-planned act. The Mumbai Police also said the crime branch has launched an investigation into the case from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project.
While two of the alleged assailants have been arrested, another accused is on the run and efforts are on to trace him, the police said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), resident of Haryana, and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), native of Uttar Pradesh, the police added.
The Baba Siddique killers were paid in advance for their involvement in the crime and had received a delivery of firearms a few days prior, The Times of India reported.
News18, citing unnammed police sources, reported that the three accused in the murder of Baba Siddique received their weapons through a prepaid courier just days before the shooting and were paid ₹50,000.
The trio had been living in a rented room in Kurla since September 2, paying a monthly rent of ₹14,000, the report added. They also revealed that the three accused met while incarcerated in a jail in Punjab. The Mumbai police have sought assistance from the Uttar Pradesh police to locate the third accused.
The politician, who took a big jump in February this year by ending his four-decade-long ties with the Congress and joining the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, had received a death threat just 15 days ago and was under ‘Y’ category security.
The Mumbai Police confirmed that Baba Siddique was shot dead outside the office of his MLA son, Zeeshan Siddique, near Colgate Ground in Nirmal Nagar.
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A case has been registered against the three accused under relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, including for murder, as well as provisions of the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act, they said.
Baba Siddique (66) was waylaid by three persons at Kher Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office and shot at, an official said.
He was taken to the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra where he was declared dead.
After the incident, a forensic team visited the crime spot and collected samples and police were checking CCTV camera footage of the nearby spots to get more information about the attack, the official said.
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The shooters opened four to five rounds of fire from a 9.9 MM pistol which was recovered by police, the police said. During the probe, police found the assailants fired at Baba Siddique when people started bursting firecrackers during a Durga visarjan procession, a police official said.
They got advantage as most of the people did not hear the gunshots sound, the police said. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar described the attack as extremely unfortunate and condemnable.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the incident is deeply regrettable. “We have directed the police to ensure no one takes law into their hands under any circumstances. We cannot allow any form of gang war to resurface in our city,” he said.
During the Covid-19 pandemic peak, Baba Siddique had arranged highly sought-after medicines for needy patients. He was also known for his grand Iftar parties which were attended by top Bollywood stars.
A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, he was also known be close to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt.