Investigation reveals contract killers trained in Jharkhand for Baba Siddique's murder

Mumbai police produce the four accused in the Baba Siddique firing case at the Esplanade court, Fort, on October 21. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Mumbai Crime Branch's investigation into the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique has revealed that contract killers had multiple backup shooters ready in case Shivkumar Gautam, Dharmraj Kashyap, and Gurmail Singh failed in their attempt. Officials discovered that some of these killers travelled to Maoist-affected areas in Jharkhand to receive training with AK-47s. Police suspect that Shubham Lonkar may have collaborated with local Maoist groups to facilitate this training for the shooters.

"The Maoist link is not confirmed, but given the location of their training, we are exploring this possibility. It appears Lonkar wanted to prepare them as a backup plan in case the initial shooters failed," said a Crime Branch officer.

According to the Mumbai Crime Branch, the conspiracy to assassinate Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique was plotted shortly after a shooting incident outside Salman Khan's residence.

The key conspirator, Shubham Lonkar, allegedly began preparing for the attack on Siddique after receiving instructions from Lawrence Bishnoi's brother, Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be detained in the U.S.

Initially, the contract to eliminate Siddique was assigned to accused Ram Kanojia, who sourced a weapon smuggled from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Kanojia's gang, including shooters Rupesh Mohol, Karan Salve, and Shivam Kohad, conducted a recce of Siddique's locations.

Officials stated that Kanojia, aware of Siddique's political prominence, demanded R1 crore for the job, a sum Lonkar was unwilling to pay.

Investigations later revealed that, aside from the financial dispute, Kanojia's shooters were unable to carry out the assassination despite conducting a reconnaissance in mid-August. Consequently, Lonkar hired Shivkumar Gautam, Dharmraj Kashyap, and Gurmail Singh, who executed the killing on October 12 after a month-long surveillance of Siddiqui's movements.

"The instruction to the shooters was clear: Siddique should not survive after being hit," an officer said. "Unlike the firing outside Salman Khan's house, which was intended as a scare tactic, this time an Austrian-made Glock pistol and a Turkish pistol were used. The killers arrived fully prepared, carrying approximately 60 live rounds."

Officials have so far recovered five weapons and approximately 65 live rounds. Crime Branch sources revealed that Shubham Lonkar had arranged additional backup shooters in case the three who ultimately carried out the assassination failed.

Investigators have now discovered that other shooters, including Rupesh Mohol and Gaurav Apune, travelled to Hatia railway station in Jharkhand from Pune on July 28, accompanied by Lonkar. Police have obtained digital tickets as evidence of their journey.

Officials believe that, had the initial attempt failed, Lonkar might have equipped the backup shooters with more powerful weapons, including AK-47s. "We're investigating how they accessed these weapons and who else might be involved. It's also unclear why they travelled so far to Jharkhand for training, especially when some other shooters received jungle-based training near Karjat. We conducted searches there but found nothing," the officer added.

Main shooter arrested

Shivkumar Gautam, the alleged main shooter involved in Baba Siddique's killing, has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district. The Mumbai Crime Branch, in collaboration with the UP Special Task Force (STF), apprehended Gautam, who had been absconding for the past month. According to the Crime Branch, Gautam fired three rounds at Siddique, two of which struck him in the chest.

Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Crime Branch Lakhmi Gautam, confirmed the arrest, calling it a major breakthrough. "The accused was arrested in a joint operation with the UP STF and marks significant progress in our investigation," he said.

Sources reveal that a team of 26 officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch, led by API Amol Mali, played a crucial role in tracking and capturing Gautam. Mali had been tailing Gautam since he initially went into hiding. The team reportedly reviewed hundreds of CCTV recordings, tracing Gautam's movement to Bahraich, where he was planning to flee to Nepal. Stationed in Bahraich for the past month, the team meticulously monitored Gautam's movements. "We received information indicating he was hiding in a forest near Bahraich. As we gathered more intelligence, additional teams were dispatched, leading to his arrest along with that of several associates who were aiding his escape to Nepal," an officer involved in the operation explained.

In addition to Gautam, four others - Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akhilesh Srivastava and Akhilendra Pratap Singh - were also arrested from Bahraich. The total number of individuals apprehended in connection with the case is 23. The UP STF has confirmed that the shooting was planned on the instructions of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.