The fourth man involved in the killing of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique has been identified, claimed police sources, adding that the person hailed from Punjab’s Jalandhar.
Identified as Mohammad Jasin Akhtar, the police said he was an alleged handler of Baba Siddique’s murder as the man provided support to the shooters who killed the NCP leader outside his son’s office on Saturday evening.
Akhtar, who was arrested by the Punjab Police around two years ago in some local case, was linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed police sources.
A police dossier confirmed his connection with Saurav Mahakal, an active member of the Bishnoi gang. Mahakal’s name came to the fore during singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder probe.
The police said Akhtar relayed information about Siddique’s movement to the shooters, making him the fourth accused in the killing of the NCP leader. He also provided them with logistical support, including renting a room.
So far, the police have arrested three persons in the case, including two of the three shooters- Gurmail Singh (From Haryana) and Dharamraj Kashyap (From Uttar Pradesh), and Pravin Lonkar, the key conspirators who enlisted killers in the plot.
The third shooter, Shivkumar Gautam (From Uttar Pradesh) and handler Akhtar are absconding, the police confirmed. An investigation is underway to capture the accused.
Mumbai Police on Sunday produced the two arrested accused before the court. The Esplanade Court sent both the attackers– Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap — to police custody till October 21.
Mumbai Police Probe Slum Rehab Project Link
The Mumbai Police, apart from probing the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in the sensational murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, is also looking into the possible role of a well-known Mumbai builder, sources have told CNN-News18.
Sources in Mumbai Police said a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) project was “very close to Baba Siddiqui and he was very vocal about it”. Siddique and his son, Congress MLA Zeeshan, had been protesting against two slum redevelopment projects — Sant Dnyaneshwar Nagar and Bharat Nagar — in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the past few months.
Local media outlets had reported that Siddique was objecting to the project as the people living in the shanties were kept in the dark about the size of the homes that they would receive post-redevelopment.
While so far police have said they have no conclusive evidence, they are verifying claims that the builder under scanner paid the gang for the NCP leader’s contract killing. This also worked for Bishnoi as he too considered Siddique his enemy.
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