Baba Siddique murder: Fifteenth accused nabbed by Mumbai cops; Crime Branch targets Bishnoi network

Lawrence Bishnoi

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang poses a serious threat to the Mumbai Crime Branch, which has a history of dismantling the city's underworld. In the wake of the high-profile murder of politician Baba Siddique, the Crime Branch has been ordered to closely monitor anyone associated with the gang. Sources suggest that the police may have made a mistake by releasing Shubham Lonkar, a key suspect previously questioned in a shooting near Salman Khan's residence. With concerns that inaction could embolden the Bishnoi gang to intensify their extortion efforts, especially after Siddique's murder, the department is reinforcing its commitment to a zero-tolerance policy against organised crime. The recent arrests of 15 suspects linked to Siddique's assassination reflect this proactive approach, aiming to curb the gang's influence and prevent it from becoming a major threat to the city.

The 15 accused in Baba Siddique's assassination case and their alleged roles

IN PHOTOS: Baba Siddique murder case accused produced before court, remanded to police custody

2 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

Dharmaraj Kashyap, 21
Kashyap, a scrap dealer from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, and son of a poor farmer, allegedly served as a shooter and helped scout Siddique's locations from September to October. Though present during the shooting, he did not fire; his associate, Shivkumar Gautam, fired six rounds, three of which were fatal. Kashyap, reportedly part of the conspiracy, was found with a country-made weapon (desi katta).

Gurmail Singh, 23
Singh, a Haryana resident, also a son of a poor farmer, has a criminal record. He was arrested for murder in 2019 and released on bail last year. Disowned by his family, he allegedly acted as a shooter but did not fire. Caught at the scene, he was involved in planning and scouting locations with others. Singh was found carrying an Austrian-made Glock and live bullets.

Pravin Lonkar
Lonkar, a resident of Akola, is the brother of key conspirator Shubham Lonkar, who is currently absconding. Both brothers have criminal records under the Arms Act, having been arrested by the Vakola Police earlier this year and later released on bail. Pravin was reportedly aware of the entire conspiracy and instructed the shooters to use Snapchat for sharing information, which he later deleted. He co-owns a dairy shop in Pune with his brother, where they became acquainted with Harish Nishad, another accused in the case. Lonkar is said to have radicalised Nishad and involved other workers, including Kashyap, Singh, and the absconding Gautam, in the plot. He allegedly provided logistical support and funds amounting to Rs 4-5 lakh for lodging in Kurla, acquiring a bike, and conducting reconnaissance on Siddique's locations.

Harishkumar Nishad
Nishad, from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, ran a scrap shop in Pune where the shooters worked. He was allegedly radicalised by the Lonkar brothers, he encouraged the shooters and provided Rs 2 lakh from Pravin Lonkar. Though he initially claimed innocence, the Crime Branch arrested him based on the shooters' statements implicating him as a key financial facilitator. He is also believed to have scouted Siddique's locations in Mumbai by bike.

Rupesh Rajendra Mohol, Karan Rahul Salve, and Shivam Arvind Kohad were produced in the Esplanade court (Killa Court) in Mumbai on Thursday. PICs/SHADAB KHAN ; (right) Another accused was produced in Esplanade court (Killa Court) in Mumbai on Sunday

Rupesh Mohol, 22 Karan Salve, 19 Shivam Kohad, 20
Mohol, Salve, and Kohad, all residents of Pune, were affiliated with Kanaujia and Sapre's gang. The Crime Branch reports that when Kanaujia and Sapre were first approached by Lonkar, these three assisted in conducting reconnaissance of Siddique's locations alongside Kanaujia and Sapre. Their involvement in these initial activities led to their arrest.

Nitin Sapre, 32 Ram Kanaujia, 43
Sapre, from Dombivli, and Kanaujia, from Panvel, were initially recruited by Shubham Lonkar, the main absconding conspirator, and agreed to the assignment, obtaining a weapon from a contact in Udaipur. But upon learning that the target was influential politician Baba Siddique, they hesitated. Instead of outright refusal, they demanded Rs 1 crore (Rs 50 lakh each) to deter Lonkar from involving them. Ultimately, Lonkar turned to scrap dealers in Pune for the task. Kanaujia later handed the weapon to shooter Gautam in Ghatkopar. Both Sapre and Kanaujia have criminal records.

Sambhaji Parbi, 44 Pradeep Tombar, 37 Chetan Pardhi, 37
Parbi, Tombar, and Pardhi, all residents of Ambernath, were members of Sapre and Kanaujia's group and participated in the initial planning stages of the operation. Their involvement in these early preparations led to their arrest.

Sujit Kumar
Another accused, identified as Sujit Kumar alias Babbu, was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch on Friday. He was allegedly involved in the conspiracy and was the first to identify the Sapra and Kanoujia gangs in connection with Siddique's murder. He previously lived in Chedda Nagar, Ghatkopar, Mumbai, and was apprehended at his in-laws' house in Ludhiana.

Bhagwat Om Singh, 32
Singh hails from Udaipur and allegedly provided weapons used in Siddique's murder case, he was staying in BKC and left for Belapur after Siddique was shot dead, he is being probed about how he procured the weapon and what he was doing in BKC at the time of the murder.

Accused produced in court on Monday. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI

Amit Kumar, 29
Kumar, a resident of Kaithal, Haryana, is suspected by the Crime Branch to have been aware of the entire conspiracy. He maintained contact with the key conspirator, Jisan Akhtar, who has been absconding. He was released from Jalandhar prison on June 7 this year. Another absconding accused is believed to have connected Kumar and Akhtar. Sources indicate that Kumar received approximately R2.5 lakh in his account from an absconding accomplice, which he withdrew and transferred to Akhtar in eight separate instalments. Officials noted that Kumar, who completed high school, was running a liquor shop in Haryana.

Absconding accused

Shubham Lonkar
Lonkar is a key conspirator in the case, suspected to have direct ties to Lawrence Bishnoi through Bishnoi's brother, Anmol Bishnoi. After Siddique's murder, Lonkar allegedly claimed responsibility on Facebook, calling it revenge for the death of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the Salman Khan case who reportedly died by suicide while in police custody. In his post, Lonkar also alleged that Siddique was close to Salman Khan and Dawood Ibrahim. Although the Crime Branch has issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) for Lonkar, he remains at large and is suspected to have fled the country through Nepal.

Jishan Akhtar
A resident of Punjab with a criminal background, Akhtar is said by Punjab police to have direct connections with Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother through a communication app. According to police records, he operates his own gang, with approximately 22 members under him. Akhtar was also in contact with Saurabh Mahakal, previously questioned by the Mumbai Crime Branch in connection with a threat note found by Salim Khan during a walk. However, no links were confirmed between Mahakal and this case. Akhtar is currently an absconding suspect in the Baba Siddique murder investigation and is believed to have co-conspired with Shubham Lonkar.

Shivkumar Gautam
Shivkumar Gautam was the main shooter in the Siddique murder case. He fired six fatal rounds at the politician. He is still absconding.

Challenges for the Mumbai Crime Branch

Despite arresting 15 suspects in Baba Siddique's murder, the Mumbai Crime Branch faces challenges as the main shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, and key conspirators, Shubham Lonkar and Jishan Akhtar, remain at large. Investigators suspect Lawrence Bishnoi orchestrated the murder to send a message to Salman Khan, with links found between the accused and Anmol Bishnoi. However, without Akhtar and Lonkar, the motive remains unclear. The Crime Branch is also considering an SRA project dispute as a possible motive but lacks evidence to support that theory.