Shooters were asked to shoot either Baba Siddique or his son Zeeshan, Mumbai police reveal

The Mumbai police’s crime branch, which was investigating the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, said on Saturday that the shooters attacked him as he was walking towards party workers outside his son’s Kherwadi office, Congress MP Zeeshan Siddique.

According to police, Zeeshan was also targeted but managed to get into his car outside the office. The shooters then chose to target Baba Siddique, whose car was parked about 200 meters from Zeeshan’s office.

An officer revealed that police discovered photos of Zeeshan and his vehicle number on the Snapchat account of one of the suspects. When questioned, the accused admitted that they were ordered to kill Baba Siddique or his son. “During his recovery, they found that it was easier to attack Baba Siddique in the 200-metre stretch when he was walking towards it from his vehicle,” the officer said.

When police asked Baba Siddique’s family why he chose to walk the 200-metre stretch, he explained that he preferred it because it allowed him time and space to interact with young party workers.

Police stated that so far in their investigation, the main motive behind Baba Siddique’s murder appears to be Lawrence Bishnoi’s attempt to create fear in the city to start extortion activities.

An officer explained that the shooters killed Baba Siddique because they believe that killing someone makes others fearful and more likely to accept extortion demands. However, they are also looking into the possibility that a dispute over a Slum Rehabilitation Authority project in Bandra may have played a role. In August, an FIR was lodged against Zeeshan for allegedly opposing SRA officials who were trying to inspect the plot.

Police have so far arrested nine people in the case, including two who were with Shivkumar Gautam when he shot Baba Siddique. They found the Turkish-made pistol and the Glock which were sent from Rajasthan and handed over to the shooters.

Police are currently looking for Gautam, Shubham Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar, who are suspected to be in direct contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. An officer mentioned that they are also trying to get the custody of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat.

The five suspects arrested in the Baba Siddique murder case initially asked for Rs 50 lakh for the job, but later backed out due to a disagreement over payment and concerns over the slain politician’s influence, according to the agents