Baba Siddique murder case: Crime Branch to file charge sheet soon

The main shooter, Shivkumar, being taken into police custody on November 11. File pic/Ashish Raje

The Mumbai Crime Branch, investigating the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, is likely to file a charge sheet by the end of this week or the first week of January. Sources have revealed that there is no evidence to suggest an SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) dispute as a possible motive. Instead, based on strong evidence, investigators believe that Siddique's close association with Salman Khan was the motive behind the murder.

The charge sheet will name 26 accused individuals arrested during the investigation. It will also list three masterminds and key conspirators - Anmol Bishnoi, Shubham Lonkar, and Zeeshan Akhtar - who remain absconding.

Crime Branch sources stated that they had collected multiple documents related to the SRA dispute involving Bandra's Sant Dnyaneshwar Nagar and Bharat Nagar slums. They also recorded relevant statements. However, no evidence was found to link the dispute to Siddique's murder.

The SRA angle was initially explored after a ‘tweet' from Siddique's son, former Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui. In the tweet, he claimed that his father died protecting the lives and homes of the poor. "The SRA dispute angle was thoroughly investigated, but no sufficient evidence surfaced during the probe," said a senior Crime Branch officer.

During the investigation, the Crime Branch came across a facebook post by Shubham Lonkar, who claimed responsibility for the murder on behalf of the Bishnoi gang. The post alleged that Siddique was close to Salman Khan and had links with Dawood Ibrahim. It also suggested that the murder was revenge for Anuj Thapan's death. Thapan, an accused in the Salman Khan firing case, died by suicide in Crime Branch custody.

"The shooters were misled with false claims that Siddique was Dawood's man and was responsible for Thapan's death. They believed these fabrications and accepted the contract to kill Siddiqui," an officer explained.

The official added that the murder plot began soon after the firing outside Salman Khan's residence on April 14 this year.

Both Siddique and his son Zeeshan, and Salman Khan, were targets, but the shooters focused on Siddique after struggling to gain access to Salman Khan. On October 12, they learned from a political banner that Siddiqui and his son would be at their Bandra East office. That evening, the shooters reached the location, and at around 9 pm, they assassinated Baba Siddique who was a police protectee. Six rounds were fired and two hit him in the chest. Zeeshan had left the office just minutes before the attack otherwise the assailants would have shot him as well.

The charge sheet, according to sources, is expected to run into thousands of pages and will include dozens of witness statements, some recorded before a magistrate. Notably, jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has not been named as a wanted accused due to a lack of direct evidence.

However, his brother, Anmol Bishnoi - arrested in California, US - is identified as the mastermind behind the contract killing. Lonkar and Akhtar are named as key conspirators.

Officials suspect that both Lonkar and Akhtar have either fled the country or are hiding in Naxal-affected areas.

26
No. of accused arrested