Nearly two days after the brutal murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, the Mumbai Police are deepening their investigation into the conspiracy behind the crime, aiming to identify the mastermind. Sources close to the investigation have not ruled out the involvement of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but police officials believe that the mention of his name might be a diversion.
The police have arrested three individuals in connection with Siddique’s murder: Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, Gurmail Baljit Singh, and Pravin Lonkar. However, the main suspect, Shivkumar Gautam, remains on the run and is believed to hold crucial information about who ordered the assassination.
Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead on the night of October 12 outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Kher Nagar, Bandra. The suspects ambushed him, but it was Shivkumar who ultimately pulled the trigger, firing six rounds at Siddique, two of which struck the NCP leader. Despite a heavy police presence, Shivkumar managed to escape after throwing chilli powder into the eyes of security personnel, while Dharmaraj and Gurmail were arrested.
Initial investigations revealed that while Dharmaraj and Gurmail carried pistols, they did not fire any shots, with Shivkumar handling the attack. The pair told police they had no knowledge of who had ordered the assassination.
Shivkumar, 23, originally from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, had been involved in a scrap trading business. His family described a strained relationship, with his mother stating that Shivkumar had distanced himself over the years. His father expressed disbelief at his son’s involvement but said, “If proven guilty, he should be treated like a murderer.”
In addition to the search for Shivkumar, police also arrested 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar in Pune, where he allegedly sheltered the other suspects. Police are also searching for Pravin’s brother, Shubham Lonkar, who is suspected of enlisting Dharmaraj and Shivkumar into the plot. The police are investigating a social media post linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that claimed responsibility for the murder, but the authenticity of the post remains unverified.
