Police have arrested Pravin Lonkar, a 28-year-old suspect in the murder case of Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique from Pune. Pravin is the elder brother of Shubham Lonkar, who posted on Facebook claiming that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was responsible for Siddique's murder.
According to reports, along with his brother Shubham, he allegedly recruited Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam to carry out the attack. With Pravin's arrest, the police have now apprehended three suspects in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, Mumbai police said that the another accused has been identified in connection with the case. The name of the accused is Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar.
Who is Shubham Lonkar?
Shubham Lonkar, a resident of Nehori in Akola district, had been on the radar of the police for his alleged links with the Bishnoi gang. Both brothers had been absconding since June 2024. When police searched their residence, neighbors revealed that the duo had fled the village.
Baba Siddique suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai for emergency treatment on Saturday night, where he later died. He was admitted around 9:30 p.m., but despite extensive resuscitative efforts, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival. Dr. Jalil Parkar, a physician at Lilavati Hospital, stated, “When he arrived in the emergency room, his pulse and blood pressure were unrecordable, and the ECG showed a flat line. We shifted him to the ICU.”
Earlier today, Mumbai's Esplanade Court remanded Gurmail Singh, one of the suspects in the case, to the custody of the Mumbai Crime Branch until October 21. The court also directed the presentation of the second accused after his ossification test.