Siddique was shot shortly after high-ranking officials departed the scene
An undated picture of the three accused at Juhu beach
The three shooters linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had been waiting behind a tempo near NCP leader and former MLA Baba Siddique’s parked car on Saturday, aiming to kill him at point-blank range in Bandra East. After allegedly using a smoke bomb to obscure visibility, they executed their plan despite heavy police deployment for a nearby religious procession. The police failed to gather intelligence about the life threat to Siddique, who was shot twice in the chest just five minutes after the zonal DCP had left the area.
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This situation starkly illustrates a significant intelligence failure on the part of law enforcement. Despite the police presence, their inability to anticipate or respond to the threat against Siddique raises serious questions about the effectiveness of their operations to keep the city safe.
The Children’s Complex where one of the shooters was hiding
The heavy police deployment was organised to ensure the smooth running of a religious procession. An officer attached to Nirmal Nagar police told mid-day that the shooters were clever enough to camouflage the sound of gunshots with firecrackers. “It was an alarming tactic by the shooters of a well-organised gang,” the officer said.
The timing—just five minutes after high-ranking officials had departed—suggests a concerning gap in situational awareness.
Smoke bomb
An insider in the Siddique family told mid-day that the killers had used a smoke bomb to exploit the visual cover.
“They are contract killers who had conducted a recce of the area before assassinating Siddique. The timing of their nefarious act is very crucial. These shooters seemed undeterred by the police presence, as Siddique was killed in a place where many PIs, APIs, PSIs, constables, and head constables were stationed for the bandobast organised for the religious procession,” said the insider in the Siddique family.
“The killers threw a smoke bomb around him to limit visibility in the area,” the insider informed mid-day. “Exploiting the visual cover, the killers inched closer to their target and pumped two bullets into his chest. The bullet wounds were through and through. A 22-year-old passerby was injured in the left calf muscle by a bullet, which got lodged in his leg without exiting. He is currently admitted to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra,” the insider added.
Siddique was walking toward his car, which was parked barely 100 metres from the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique. “A total of six rounds were fired at Siddique by the shooters, who attempted to flee the scene but were apprehended by the police,” an officer added. An eyewitness, Soman Shaikh, who runs a hair-cutting salon located just a few steps from the crime scene, told mid-day that he heard gunshots fired in quick succession.
“I was alarmed after hearing the back-to-back gunshots. It’s chilling to think that what initially sounded like festive noise turned out to be something so violent. Siddique had collapsed on the ground, and the situation quickly turned chaotic,” recalled Shaikh.
Constables, along with PSI and API-level officers, were regulating traffic when the contract killers shot Siddique. Unaware of the shooting, police only realised after the killers attempted to escape by dispersing in the area. “The 23-year-old Gurmail Baljit Singh tried to flee towards Western Express Highway but was caught by a constable and a jawan from Maharashtra State Force,” said a Mumbai police officer.
“At first, the constables thought they had caught a mobile or chain snatcher,” the officer added. Singh’s another accomplice, also ran in the same direction but managed to evade the police. Taking advantage of the darkness, he jumped a boundary wall of a Children’s Complex building, in the area and hid in the greenery.
“The police had already cornered him in there and, with the help of security guards, arrested him,” said an officer.
Security guard Inder Yadav said, “I was preparing dinner when cops knocked on the main door, holding mobile torches. They told me a thief was hiding in our compound, so I assisted them. He had a bag with him, but I don’t know what was inside.” Another guard, Anwar Khan, added, “We suspect he jumped fencing along the WEH to enter the premises.”
The third assailant, Shiv Kumar Gautam, was able to escape by blending into the crowd. “He later fled, wielding two pistols, said a few locals,” the officer added.
Bullet hit a passer-by
A bullet hit a 22-year-old Raj Nirmal, who was standing nearby. He was rushed to Bhabha Hospital, where doctors removed the bullet. Nirmal, a tailor, lives in Kherwadi with his parents and sister. His father, Matafer Kanojia, said, “Raj told me he was there for the Durgadevi procession when smoke appeared, and he heard what he thought were firecrackers. Suddenly, he felt pain in his leg and realised he had been shot.”
Nirmal’s uncle, Shivdayal Kanojia, added, “Raj is a tailor, and his father does ironing work. His sister’s is getting married next month. Their income has now stopped because of this.”
100
Approx No. of people at the scene
Cops immediately arrested shooters
Five police officers from the Nirmal Nagar police station apprehended two shooters who fired at former NCP leader Baba Siddique immediately after the incident. The officers initially mistook the gunshots for firecrackers. They first apprehended one suspect on suspicion of robbery and then caught the second suspect, who was hiding nearby.
The officers involved were API Ramchandra Dhabade and Constables Sagar Koyande, Surekha Mane, Sandeep Awhad, and Suhas Nalawade. They also recovered two pistols and 28 live rounds from the suspects. At the scene, over 100 people and about 50 police officers were present for heavy security during the immersion procession in Kherwadi.
All five officers were stationed along the Western Express Highway when they heard a loud noise, initially believing it to be firecrackers. Gurmail Singh, one of the suspects, was seen running toward them. The officers suspected Singh was a thief, but upon apprehending him, they discovered he was armed with a pistol. They also learned that another suspect had fled onto the Western Express Highway.
A police officer stated, “These five policemen caught the first suspect, Singh, and later pursued the second suspect, who jumped over a 5-foot safety wall of the Children’s Complex in Kherwadi and hid in the greenery, but he was arrested there.”
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