Mumbai Crime Branch has officially named Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as an accused in the murder case of former minister and MLA Baba Siddiqui, which occurred on October 12. Along with this development, the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) has been applied to the case. So far, 26 arrested accused and three wanted individuals will now face trial under MCOCA.
The wanted accused include Anmol Bishnoi, Shubham Lonkar, and Zeeshan Akhtar. Among the 26 arrested individuals, some were apprehended in Maharashtra, while others were nabbed in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.
Before invoking MCOCA, the Crime Branch had not officially named Anmol Bishnoi as an accused in the case. Although Anmol's name appeared in the remand copy following Sujit Singh's arrest, it was later removed without any explanation from the authorities. However, the Crime Branch decided to invoke MCOCA after gathering evidence that highlighted Anmol’s involvement in the murder plot.
According to the Crime Branch, Anmol Bishnoi is the mastermind behind Baba Siddiqui’s murder. He reportedly communicated with several arrested individuals via Snapchat, arranged weapons, and orchestrated the conspiracy. Anmol also allegedly financed the operation, sending money through various sources to the accused. Shubham Lonkar remained in constant contact with Anmol throughout the planning.
It is worth mentioning that Mumbai Crime Branch had previously applied MCOCA in the firing case at Salman Khan’s residence, where both Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi were named as accused.