Exclusive | Baba Siddique murder case: Eyewitness gets extortion call

Two men who were close to the late NCP leader Baba Siddique said they received threat calls from unknown numbers. The alleged harassment began just days after the political heavyweight was assassinated by three shooters linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in Bandra East on October 12.

An officer attached to Khar police station said, "The unknown callers apparently belong to Bishnoi's gang."

Baba Siddique and his son Zeeshan outside the Legislative Assembly. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

One of the men, Iqbal Shaikh, an eyewitness in the murder case, on October 31, registered an FIR at Khar police station after a caller demanded R5 crore as protection money. Another victim, Shoaib Khan, approached the Nirmal Nagar police, who registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence.

According to the FIR registered under section 308A (Extortion) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Shaikh received the extortion call from an unknown number and the caller told him, "Tu paanch khoka ready kar le, nahi to tere ko bhi tere boss [Baba Siddique] ke paas pahucha denge…thik hai na! Tera case bhi usi crime branch ke pass investigation ke liye jaega jaha tere boss ke case ka investigation chal raha hai."

The complainant has submitted the following transcript of the extortion call to the authorities.

Unknown caller: Tera details aaya hai mere paas… tera address, family ka… tera bada bhai Shakeel police ka khabri hai… chhota bhai, saara tere family me kaun hai, kiddar rehta hai, kya karta hai, kis car me jata hai… saara mere pass pada hai! (I have got the entire details of your address and family. Your elder brother is a police informer. I have the details of your younger brother, too. I know who all are there in your family members…I have everything)

Iqbal Shaikh: Acchha! (Ok)

Unknown caller: Kya kaam dhandha karta hai, thik hai na? Baat ye hai ki tu paanch khoka ready kar le, nahi to tere ko tere boss ke paas pahucha denge, thik hai na? (I know what business you are in, okay! So, keep R5 crore ready, else you will meet the same fate as your boss Baba Siddique, okay?)
Shaikh: Acchha acchha achha, thik hai! (Okay!)

Unknown caller: Abhi mere ladke dekh pehle tere boss ko marne aaye the, jiska tu paisa manage karta hai na..Baba Siddique ka? (See, earlier my shooters were sent to kill your boss, and you manage his money, right?)

Shaikh: Haan (Yes)

Unknown caller: Uska kaam kiya abhi, tu matt soch tu bach jaega….abhi teri baari hai. Abhi tere liye bhi ladke bej dunga, thik hai na, sahi hai? Jo karna hai kar le, apne bhai ko bol le ki police ke jitne link hai laga le…thik hai na? Cr''''l mall ke bahar baithe hote ho na tum log? Abhi tere ko bata dia, thik hai? Tujhe police ke paas jana hai, chala ja.. apne bhai ko bol de, uske paas jaa ke meri baat karwa diyo…pata karwa liyo kaun bol raha hai, kaha se bol raha hai… sab pata chal jaega. (You have managed his money, so don't think that you will be spared. Now, it's your turn. I will send my shooters for you, okay? Do whatever you want… tell your brother to use his all police contacts… I am aware that you guys sit outside Cr''''l mall… I have told you everything, okay? If you want to go to the police, go; if you want to tell your brother, tell him… connect me when you go to your brother… get my details like who and from where I am; you'll get everything)

Shaikh: Kaha se bol rahe ho aap? (From where you are calling?)

Unknown caller: Number dekh le tru'''''' pe, daal ke dekh le, chahe police ke paas jaake… tera bhai police ka khabri hai na? Bol usko pata kar lega kaun bol raha hai, thik hai? (Check this number on tru'''''', you will get to know everything. Or, you can go to police, your brother is their informer… tell your brother to get the details who I am, okay?)

Shaikh: Thik hai (Okay)

Unknown caller: To abhi paanch khokha ready kar le, thik hai? Nahi to tere ko bhi boss ke paas pahucha denge, thik hai na? Tere case ka bhi investigation wohi chalela crime branch me jaha tere boss ka chal raha hai… abhi tere ko iske baad ek aur call karunga, dubara call nahi aega meri, thik hai? (So, now, you keep R5 crore ready, okay? Else you will also meet the same fate as your boss and your case will also be investigated by the same crime branch whose officers are probing into your boss's murder case, is that okay? After disconnecting, I will call you once more and then I will not call again, is it okay?)

Shaikh: Thik hai (Okay).

Sources in the Khar police station told mid-day that a police constable has been deployed to Shaikh's building where a few suspects were seen clicking photographs a few days ago. "The caller seems to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Since it's an extortion case, we have handed over the matter to the crime branch for further investigation," said the officer at Khar police station requesting anonymity.

Earlier incident

Meanwhile, Khan said that he received an unknown call from a Pakistan-based number within a week of Siddique's murder. "I am a social worker and was working with Baba Siddique to help get the poor admitted to government hospitals. On October 18, I received a call from a Pakistan-based number and the caller said he would kill me," Khan said.

"I immediately approached the Nirmal Nagar police station to register an FIR, but the police filed an NC," he said.

Khan added that the caller had used an image of a police officer for his display picture. "After I met the officers at Nirmal Nagar police station, I was told to make a video call to the same number. The unknown caller responded, but he blinded the camera lens to conceal his face. When he saw a policeman, he disconnected the call immediately."

"I am in constant fear. My entire family is terrified. I have demanded police protection, but the cops have not even registered an FIR," he added.

"Shoaib Bihari bol raha kya? Malum hai na tera baap Baba Siddique gaya… ab tu jaega…taiyaari kar le…aur tere char bete bhi jaenge. [Are you Shoaib Bihari? Do you know that your father Baba Siddique is no more? Now, it is your turn, so get ready! Your four sons will also be killed]," reads Khan's complaint letter, which he wrote to all the senior officials of Mumbai police, chief minister and Maharashtra home minister.