How Baba Siddique’s murder was planned

Mumbai:

The investigation into the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique has revealed details of the planning behind the operation, which included obtaining a sizeable cache of ammunition, YouTube firearms training and carefully devising escape plans. The conspirators’ goal was to ensure that the murder was carried out with precision without risking ammunition or escape routes.

Four people have been arrested so far, including Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both suspected shooters; Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23) and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar, who hails from Pune.

Nisad and Kashyap belong to the same village as the wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam.

Police sources said the accused responsible for Mr Siddique’s murder – Gurmail Singh, 23, and Dharamaraj Kashyap, 19 – were equipped with 65 bullets, a stockpile to ensure they did not run out of ammunition. Six of these bullets were fired on the night of October 12 when Mr Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Nirmal Nagar area of ​​Bandra.

Authorities recovered two firearms used by the defendant – an Austrian-made pistol and a domestically manufactured pistol. Besides these weapons, police found 28 live bullets on Singh and Kashyap at the time of their arrest. The investigative team also discovered a black bag located in the immediate vicinity of the murder scene, which contained a Turkish-made 7.62 caliber pistol and 30 live cartridges. There were also two Aadhar cards in that bag – one in the name of Shivkumar Gautam, who is also a suspect in the case, and another in the name of Sumit Kumar, although both the cards had Shivkumar’s photograph.

Motorcycle plan foiled by accident

According to police, the defendant initially planned to carry out the attack on a motorcycle. The idea was that the shooters would drive to the crime scene, carry out the murder, and then quickly escape on bicycles. However, a traffic accident involving two of the suspects caused them to abandon this plan. Instead, the three perpetrators decided to take the autorickshaw to the crime scene. After the murder, they quickly changed their clothes to avoid detection.

Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, one of the arrested co-conspirators, had transferred Rs 60,000 to purchase a motorcycle. Of this amount, Rs 32,000 was used to purchase a used bicycle intended for the assassination attempt.

Manhunt and escape attempts

The investigation revealed the involvement of several suspects, with the main accused being Shubham Lonkar, an alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang member who is still at large. The Mumbai Police has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Lonkar, who is believed to be trying to escape to Nepal. His photos were distributed at the Nepalese border to prevent his escape.

Lonkar had remained active on social media until three days before the murder. Reports said responsibility for Mr Siddique’s murder was claimed on October 9 through his Facebook profile. His brother Praveen Lonkar was arrested for allegedly providing financial support to the killers.

Authorities have not yet managed to trace Shubham’s exact whereabouts, but intelligence suggests he may have been in contact with key criminal networks.

YouTube training and firearm mastery

According to police, the shooters learned how to use weapons by watching YouTube tutorials. In the weeks before the murder, the accused rented a house in Mumbai’s Kurla area where they practiced loading, unloading and handling weapons. Due to the lack of open space, they conducted “dry runs” and rehearsed with unloaded weapons.

Investigations also revealed that Shivkumar Gautam, another prime suspect, had experience with firearms during ceremonial shooting at weddings in Uttar Pradesh, where he was believed to have honed his shooting skills. Gautam, described as the “main shooter”, not only took part in the planning but also trained Kashyap and Singh in the use of weapons. The trio frequently communicated through social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, using these apps to stay under the police radar while coordinating the murder plan.

Shubham Lonkar, the prime suspect on the run, was arrested under the Arms Act in Akola district of Maharashtra in January. More than ten firearms were confiscated during his arrest.