Baba Siddique Shot Dead: Son Zeeshan’s Photo Found In Shooter’s Phone Days After NCP Leader’s Murder
A photo of NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddique was reportedly recovered from the phone of one of the accused arrested for the murder of his father Baba Siddique during a police investigation.
The photo was sent to the accused by their handler through the app Snapchat, which the conspirators and shooters used to communicate, news agency ANI reported.
These messages were also deleted on the order of their handler, who is apparently Shubham Lonkar, linked to the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
A day after Baba Siddique’s death, Shubham’s brother Pravin Lonkar put up a post on Facebook claiming that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the murder.
Earlier in the investigation, the accused had revealed that Zeeshan Siddique was also a target.
The accused also revealed to the police that Shubham Lonkar chose Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivakumar Gautam because they would not be aware of Baba Siddique’s stature in Maharashtra and would have committed the murder without any qualms.
On Saturday, the Mumbai crime branch stated that the arrested accused Ram Kanojia and Nitin Sapre were the first to be given the contract to kill the Nationalist Congress Party leader and had initially demanded one crore rupees.
Kanojia, who hails from Maharashtra, knew the consequences of killing Baba Siddiqui, which is why he was he was hesitant and demanding more money.
The police so far have arrested nine people – including two of the three shooters and Shubham Lonkar.
The others – Nitin Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi and Ram Kanoujia (43), allegedly provided firearms and logistical support to the shooters.
Three more accused, including one of the shooters are still on the run, the Mumbai police said.
Baba Siddique was shot by three men near his son’s office in Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai on October 12. The NCP leader was rushed to Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead.
He had reported getting threats 15 days before his death and had been given Y category security status, although only one constable was present with him when he was shot.
The constable was unable to protect the senior politician due to a “chilli-like” substance entering his eyes. The killers had set off a device that covered the area in thick smoke, to mask the sound of the gunfire and obscure the view of the shooting, reported NDTV.
The constable, Shyam Sonawane, has now been suspended by the Mumbai police for not taking action.