Baba Siddique, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former three-time MLA from Bandra West, was shot dead outside his office on Saturday, raising concerns about the safety of politicians in Mumbai. The Mumbai Police are investigating potential links between the murder and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, a notorious figure in the city's underworld. So far, six suspects have been identified, with three already in custody, while the remaining are being actively pursued by the authorities.
The plot to assassinate Siddique was allegedly orchestrated within a Patiala jail, with the involvement of members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, according to sources reported by India Today TV. One of the key suspects, 21-year-old Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, emerged as a central figure in the conspiracy. Akhtar, originally from Punjab, was previously arrested in Jalandhar in 2022 on charges related to organized crime, murder, and robbery. While in Patiala jail, Akhtar is believed to have been recruited by the Bishnoi gang for the contract killing.
Upon his release on June 7, 2024, Zeeshan reportedly met another suspect, Gurmail Singh, in Kaithal, Haryana. Police allege that Akhtar coordinated the murder plot with Singh, Dharmaraj Kashyap, and Shiv Kumar. On the day of Siddique's murder, Akhtar was allegedly providing real-time updates on his whereabouts to the shooters, while also assisting them in securing accommodation in Mumbai. Two of the accused, Kashyap and Kumar, worked as scrap laborers in Pune and were hired by brothers Pravin and Shubham Lonkar to carry out the killing.
A day after the murder, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility through a social media post made by Shubham Lonkar. Although three suspects—Gurmail Singh, Pravin Lonkar, and Dharmaraj Kashyap—have been arrested, the search continues for the remaining fugitives, including Shiv Kumar, Zeeshan Akhtar, and Shubham Lonkar. During a court hearing on Sunday, Kashyap claimed to be a minor, prompting the court to order an ossification test, which later proved to be falsified.
According to police, on the day of the murder, three masked assailants arrived at Siddique's office in a vehicle. Shiv Kumar, armed with a 9mm pistol, fired six rounds at Siddique, with one shot fatally striking him in the chest. Although Siddique was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra (West), doctors declared him dead on arrival. Police later revealed that the attackers had originally planned to use pepper spray before shooting, but Kumar opened fire immediately instead.