Four, and not three, guns were used in the murder of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, who was shot dead earlier this month sending shock waves across the country, investigation has revealed, said Mumbai police on Friday. The fourth gun has also been recovered.
The Mumbai police is investigating if the guns were sent to India by Pakistan via drones, the source added. The picture of the guns was also sent to Rajasthan police.
Baba Siddique, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party leader, was gunned down on October 12 near his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Nirmal Nagar in Bandra East.
Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang has claimed responsibility for the murder. 15 people have been arrested in the case, while three are on the run.
As per police, Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh and Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Kashyap as well as wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam shot at Baba Siddique, while Pune-based Pravin Lonkar's brother Shubham is allegedly associated with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He and other wanted accused had conspired to carry out the hit and supplied firearms to the shooters.
The three shooters threw chilli powder at the police officer guarding Siddique before killing him.
Harish Kumar Nisad, a scrap dealer from Pune, provided financial help for the operation, as per police.
Main shooter Shivkumar Gautam as well as key accused Shubham Lonkar and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar are currently on the run.
The main accused Zeeshan Akhtar was in touch with all the other accused and had promised them big money and a foreign tour upon completion of the task, police sources told NDTV.
In a crackdown on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested at least seven suspected shooters who were planning to target someone in Rajasthan, officials said today.
The Bishnoi gang is known to be involved in various criminal activities, including homicide, extortion, and arms trafficking, and their profile has been on the rise over the past few years.