16 October,2024 08:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Cartridges found by the police on October 12. Pics/Ashish Raje
Investigation into the Baba Siddique murder has led the Mumbai Crime Branch to investigate fake news that was circulated on May 21 about a firing incident involving Siddique in Bandra. At the time, the Crime Branch and the Mumbai police checked with Siddique and he confirmed that he was in London. Officials took cognisance of the situation and reviewed CCTV footage to verify if any misfiring or unreported incidents had occurred, but nothing suspicious was found. Authorities are now investigating who spread the initial rumour and whether it is connected to the fatal shooting that occurred on October 12, which led to Siddique's death.
Police officers at the site of the shooting
According to a source, rumours spread on the evening of May 21 causing panic among the police, as Siddique was a prominent leader of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). The rumours were circulated in such a way that officials began receiving calls from journalists seeking confirmation of the incident. "All senior officers spoke to Siddique, but he denied any incident, stating that he was in London, though he was active on WhatsApp," an officer said.
Following Siddique's denial, officials took steps to ascertain whether any incident had occurred in or around his residence that might have gone unreported to the Mumbai police. CCTV footage was reviewed, but nothing suspicious was found. Officials dismissed it as a rumour and did not investigate how it began. "We come across such rumours regularly, especially during election periods, so we had to be cautious and check all the details," the officer added.
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Crime Branch sources have now said they will investigate what led to the spread of these false rumours and whether there is any connection to the actual shooting of Siddique. There are also claims that Siddique had verbally complained of threats to some political leaders, which were reportedly conveyed to state home ministry officials. However, the Mumbai police have officially denied receiving any complaints regarding potential threats to Siddique.
