Baba Siddique shot dead: Bone test to find out if one shooter is a minor

Gurmail Singh and another accused, arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch in the Baba Siddique murder case, were produced before the holiday court on Sunday. Singh was remanded in police custody until October 21, while the second accused claimed to be a minor. The court directed the Crime Branch to conduct a bone ossification test to verify this claim.

During the hearing, the public prosecutor for the Mumbai Crime Branch stressed the seriousness of the case, highlighting that it involved the murder of a political leader and that the accused were apprehended at the scene. "We cannot disclose details in an open court as the matter is sensitive," said public prosecutor Gautam Gaikwad.

The accused being taken to court on Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan

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The public prosecutor then handed the case diary to the magistrate. When the magistrate asked the accused for their names and ages, Gurmail Singh confirmed he was 23, while the other accused claimed to be 17. The court inquired if the Crime Branch had any documentation. The Crime Branch presented an identity card showing the accused's date of birth as March 1, 2003, which would make him 21 years old. However, the card bore his photo but had the name "Ranjan Kumar Gupta." Sources in the Crime Branch suspect it to be a fake identity card created to evade law enforcement. They also found another identity card with the accused's real name listing his age as 18. The public prosecutor informed the court that the accused's age would be verified through a bone ossification test, and until then, the Aadhaar card found on him, indicating he is an adult, should be considered valid. When asked if he had any other identity cards, the accused denied having any and maintained he was 17 years old.

Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, representing the accused, argued that his client was a minor, as he had been informed, and had no objection to the Crime Branch producing any identity cards. The proceedings were paused briefly, during which the Crime Branch presented photos of the identity card to the magistrate. "The accused has committed a serious offence, and we have also recovered 28 live cartridges. We are unsure of their exact plans or if they had other targets," the public prosecutor informed the court.

After hearing both sides, the court granted the Crime Branch custody of Singh until October 21. It also directed the Crime Branch to conduct a bone ossification test on the accused claiming to be a minor and report back to the court. Until then, the accused will remain in police custody.

17
Age accused told court

28
No. of live cartridges all accused were carrying

Oct 21
Day accused will be in custody till