2 assailants in Baba Siddique murder are neighbours and friends from UP: Police

The Uttar Pradesh police said vigil on the porous India-Nepal border has been increased in anticipation of a possible attempt by the accused to cross over to Nepal to evade arrest

Two of the assailants in murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Ziauddin Siddique in Mumbai on Saturday night are from the same village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district located on the India-Nepal border, police officers said on Sunday.

Police personnel escort the two accused identified as Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap to be produced at Esplanade Court in connection with the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, in Mumbai on Sunday. (ANI)

Two assailants arrested on the spot in Mumbai were identified as Dharam Raj Kashyap, 21, resident of Bahraich’s Gandara village, and Gurmail Baljeet Singh, 24, of Haryana. Another partner was identified as Kashyap’s Bahraich neighbour Shiv Kumar Gautam alias Shiva, 22, who escaped after the murder and is suspected of having moved out of Mumbai.

Bahraich superintendent of police (SP) Vrinda Shukla confirmed over the phone that Dharam Raj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar Gautam alia Shiva, whose involvement had surfaced in the high-profile murder, are residents of Gandara village under Kaiserganj police station limits of Bahraich district.

“The agencies investigating the NCP leader’s murder are in regular touch with Bahraich police and we are lending our full support,” she said.

“So far, we have not found any criminal records of the two murder suspects, but the investigation agencies are questioning their family members,” she said.

The SP said the Bahraich police are alert and keeping track of Shiva’s family following his expected attempt to approach them.

Vigil on the porous India-Nepal border has been increased in anticipation of a possible attempt by Shiva to cross over to Nepal to evade arrest, Vrinda Shukla said.

Shiv Kumar Gautam’s father Bal Krishna and other family members informed the police that that the son used to do scrap work in Pune for the past few years, another police official privy to the development said.

Shiv Kumar and Dharam Raj Kashyap were neighbours and childhood friends, this official added, quoting Shiv Kumar’s family. Shiv Kumar and Dharam Raj met whenever Shiva visited the village and recently, he took Dharam Raj with him to provide work in Pune two months ago. Since then, their family members had no information about their whereabouts.

He said Dharam Raj’s family said he last spoke to his family over the phone around three weeks ago while Shiv Kumar had a phone conversation with his family around 15 days ago.

Shiv Kumar’s mother Suman said Shiva had left the village after the Holi festival (in March) and never had any dispute with anyone in the past, the official said.

Gandara village head representative Hasnain Kamaal said the accused belonged to very poor families and were provided houses under PM Awas Yojana, adding that the duo was never found involved in any criminal activity prior to this shocking incident.

A police picket has been set up outside the houses of both the accused, said the son of village head Zaibun Nisan.