Two men who were close to the late NCP leader Baba Siddique said they received threat calls from unknown numbers. The alleged harassment began just days after the political heavyweight was assassinated by three shooters linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in Bandra East on October 12. One of the men, Iqbal Shaikh, an eyewitness in the murder case, on October 31, registered an FIR at Khar police station after a caller demanded R5 crore as protection money. Another victim, Shoaib Khan, approached the Nirmal Nagar police, who registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence.
According to the FIR registered under section 308A (Extortion) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Shaikh received the extortion call from an unknown number and the caller told him, “Tu paanch khoka ready kar le, nahi to tere ko bhi tere boss [Baba Siddique] ke paas pahucha denge…thik hai na! Tera case bhi usi crime branch ke pass investigation ke liye jaega jaha tere boss ke case ka investigation chal raha hai.”
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is carrying out a massive search for the mastermind of the murder, Zeeshan Akhtar. As many as five police teams are on the lookout for Akhtar, reported news website TOI. The weapons used in the murder were allegedly brought in from Rajasthan. So far, five weapons have been seized and the police are on the lookout for a sixth weapon. NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan's office in Bandra, Mumbai on October 12. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder. The gang said that Baba Siddique was assassinated due to his close ties with actor Salman Khan. The crime branch is also pursuing a Nepal link as they believe Zeeshan Akhtar might have fled to the neighbouring country.