In a major breakthrough in the ex MLA and minister Baba Siddique murder case, the Crime Branch has arrested five more individuals, uncovering the third layer of the conspiracy behind the killing. Officials have revealed that there are additional layers yet to be unraveled, and further investigations will shed light on them. The arrested individuals are said to have supplied weapons to the shooters responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder.
A Crime Branch official mentioned that these accused provided logistical support and financial aid to the shooters. The arrests were made from Dombivli, Ambernath, and Panvel.
Layers of the Murder Plot
The first layer of the conspiracy involves the shooters themselves: Dharmaraj Kashyap, Shiv Kumar Gautam, and Gurmel Singh. The second layer consists of those who provided them with money and vehicles, identified as Harish Kumar Nishad and Praveen Chonkar.
The scope of the Crime Branch’s investigation is expanding. Initially, the probe was confined to four districts in Maharashtra—Pune, Akola, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai. However, the nexus now extends to Thane district as well.
Details of the Arrests
The five individuals arrested on Friday by the Mumbai Crime Branch have been identified as Nitin Gautam Sapre (32) from Dombivli, Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44) from Ambernath, Ram Phoolchand Kannoujiya (43) from Panvel, Pradeep Dattu Thombre (43) from Ambernath, and Chetan Dilip Pardhi (27) from Ambernath.
Earlier, on Thursday, five more people were arrested from Panvel in Navi Mumbai and Thane district. Following these arrests, the Crime Branch officially confirmed that Turkish-made pistols and Australian Glocks were used in the murder, along with a country-made firearm that was recovered. These weapons were provided to the shooters by the arrested individuals.
Further Investigation
The Crime Branch has stated that the murder plot has multiple layers, with three already exposed. The first layer involves the shooters, the second comprises those who supplied weapons and money, and the third—most crucial—includes Shubham Chonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar, who masterminded the plot. However, the investigation is still ongoing to identify who was above Shubham and Zeeshan, and who ordered the hit on Baba Siddique. A lookout notice has been issued against the absconding Shivkumar, Shubham, and Zeeshan.
The Crime Branch revealed that the Australian Glock and Turkish Tisas pistols, along with a country-made pistol, were provided by the arrested accused. They are now investigating whether the shooters received any training in using these weapons. The shooters, Dharmaraj and Shivkumar, reportedly stayed at a private house in Karjat with Nitin and Ram in mid-August. Nitin Sapre had also provided some money to the shooters and assisted them with other logistical support.
Confession and Links to Conspirators
According to a police official, both Nitin Sapre and Ram Kannoujiya have confessed to being in contact with key conspirators Zeeshan Akhtar and Shubham Lonkar. On their instructions, they procured weapons from North India and provided them to the shooters in mid-September. The Crime Branch suspects that they might have also trained the shooters in handling these weapons.
Nitin, a known history-sheeter, has several cases registered against him. Ram, also a history-sheeter, is currently being investigated for further details. It has been revealed that Nitin and Ram provided financial assistance to the shooters, but the funds were transferred to them by someone else. The Crime Branch is now scrutinizing their bank account details to identify the person who transferred the money.