Baba Siddique murder: Man who allegedly financed killing held in Akola

Crime Branch arrested Salman Vohra in NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder case, raising total arrests to 25. Investigation ongoing into organized crime links

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch on Sunday apprehended a Gujarat resident from Akola in the high-profile murder case of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, raising the total number of arrests to 25.

A file photo of Baba Siddique and son Zeeshan. (Instagram/Zeeshan Siddique) (HT_PRINT)

The accused, identified as Salman Vohra, a resident of Urban Park in Gujarat’s Anand district, was nabbed in collaboration with the Akola Crime Branch. According to officials, Vohra allegedly provided financial support to Nareshkumar Singh—brother of an earlier-arrested accused Gurnail Singh—as well as other suspects, including Rupesh Mohol and Harishkumar.

Siddique, 66, was gunned down on October 12 near the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East’s Nirmal Nagar. Investigations have revealed that Vohra had opened a bank account in May this year, facilitating financial transactions to fund the crime.

Meanwhile, the police have also arrested Akashdeep Karajsingh Gill, a 22-year-old resident of Pacca Chishti village in Fazilka, Punjab, located just 11 kilometres from the Pakistan border. Gill, believed to have close links with the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was detained through a joint effort by the Mumbai Crime Branch and Punjab’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).

Gill is suspected of passing instructions from the Bishnoi gang to Sujit Singh alias Babbu Singh, another arrested accused, regarding the murder. Police said Singh had conducted reconnaissance with two other suspects, Sapre and Kanaujia, and had received financial support for procuring weapons and planning the crime.

Both Vohra and Gill were produced in court on Sunday and remanded in police custody until November 21.

The investigation saw a major breakthrough on November 10, with the arrest of Shivkumar Gautam, the alleged main shooter, from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Gautam, who had been on the run since October 12, was apprehended while attempting to cross into Nepal.

Authorities remain unclear about the motive behind Siddique’s murder, despite the extensive arrests and connections to organised crime networks. Investigators continue to probe the role of the Bishnoi gang and its affiliates in orchestrating the killing.