Baba Siddique Shooters Were Given Flex Banner To Identify Target: Cops

The plot to kill former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was hatched over 100 km away in Pune months ago during several meetings. The shooters were given Rs 50,000 as an advance, Baba Siddique's photo and a flex banner to "identify the target", the cops revealed. 

Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12 outside his son's office in Mumbai. Three shooters - Gurmel Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam from Uttar Pradesh killed - Baba Siddique. The cops have arrested Gurmel and Dharmaraj, the third shooter on the run.

Yesterday, the cops got a breakthrough when Pravin Lonkar - an alleged co-conspirator - was arrested. The initial investigation has revealed new details on how the plan to assassinate Mr Siddique was hatched.

Mumbai crime exposed the alleged role of Pune-based Pravin Lonkar and his brother Shubham Lonkar in the plot. "The motive behind the killing will be ascertained once the wanted accused are arrested," a police official said.

Meanwhile, sources told NDTV that the accused have claimed that they work for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Bishnoi, who is lodged at Gujarat's Sabarmati jail, was also involved in the shooting incident outside the Mumbai residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is known to have been a close friend of Baba Siddique.

Police said the Lonkar brothers are key figures in the crime. The duo allegedly financed the shooters, coordinated logistics, and orchestrated meetings leading up to the attack.

Pravin worked at a dairy owned by Shubham, where they recruited Shivkumar Gautam and Dharmaraj Kashyap, who had connections to a nearby scrap shop.

The conspiracy took shape over several meetings, with promises of substantial payment upon successful "execution of the plan". The shooters were given an advance of Rs 50,000 each. They purchased a motorcycle to monitor Mr Siddique's routine, officials said.

Pravin Lonkar is accused of drafting two shooters to target Siddique and identified by police as a "co-conspirator".

The cops are on the hunt to catch the suspected "handler", Mohammad Yasin Akhtar, and shooter Gautam, who allegedly fired at the senior politician.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the third accused in the Baba Siddique murder case will be arrested "soon".

The investigation disclosed that it was Gautam who called Kashyap to work with him in Pune three months ago, the police official said.

Subsequently, Gautam relocated to Vinoba Bhave Nagar locality in Kurla in Mumbai in September last year and started staying on rent. He roped in Singh in the conspiracy, he said.

All three shooters- Singh, Kashyap, and Gautam- were paid Rs 50,000 each upfront. Investigations have revealed that the three accused used to travel from Kurla (where they lived on rent) to Bandra every day, mostly in auto rickshaws, and recce the places Baba Siddiqui and his son used to frequent. These places included areas around their house, office, and the events they attended.

Gautam fired on Mr Siddique while Kashyap and Gurmel Singh stood behind him. Kashyap was carrying pepper spray which he used on Siddique after he was shot.

While Kashyap and Gurmer Singh were arrested from the spot in Bandra, Gautam fled.

In a purported post on Facebook, Shubham Lonkar attributed the attack to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. This post has since been deleted, but screenshots have circulated widely. The Mumbai Police are now coordinating with social media platforms to trace its origins.

The probe found that Shubham Lonkar gave the shooters guns and ammunition. He was incarcerated in a separate arms case registered against him in Akola district in January.

Police have confiscated two pistols, 28 live rounds, and four mobile phones from the suspects, which are being analysed for further insights into the conspiracy, the official said.

The crime branch is trying to identify the persons with whom the Lonkar brothers were in touch.

"We are investigating all possible angles, including the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang," the official said, adding that the persons involved in the crime were assigned particular tasks.

On the possibility of Mumbai Police questioning Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Sabarmati Jail, the official said a proposal had been sent to the Home Department for his custody in a case registered earlier.

- With inputs from PTI