Baba Siddique murder case: Mumbai police arrest four more persons

Mumbai police arrested four more suspects in NCP politician Baba Siddique’s murder case, bringing total arrests to 14; key links to mastermind revealed

MUMBAI: In a breakthrough in NCP politician Baba Siddique’s murder case, the police on Wednesday arrested four more persons, one of them is suspected to be an important link between a shooter and the mastermind of the conspiracy.

Former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique. (HT Correspondent)

One accused was arrested from Haryana and three were held from Pune. The latest arrest took the number of persons in the custody of Mumbai police to 14.

The accused who was arrested from Kaithal, Haryana has been identified as Amit Hisamsing Kumar, 29 after his role in the crime came to the fore during the interrogation of other accused in custody. He is said to be the key link between the mastermind and the shooter.

The other three who were held in Pune are identified as Rupesh Rajendra Mohol, 22, Karan Rahul Salve, 19, and Shivam Arvind Kohad, 20, all natives of Pune. Their involvement in the case has been established and they are being currently interrogated, said a crime branch officer.

Kumar who is an HSC dropout runs a wine shop in his native place in Kaithal, Haryana. There are four cases of assault and rioting against him in the Kaithal area, said a police officer.

The police said Akhtar came out on bail in June 2024 and shifted to his base in Kaithal through one of his common friends who connected him to Kumar who arranged a shelter for Zeeshan. The police said when Zeeshan got the contract to kill Siddique, he discussed the plan with Amit.

Zeeshan required money to execute the murder and he asked the person who gave him the contract to deposit the money in Amit’s bank account. Accordingly, ₹2.5 lakh was credited in his bank account and the amount was later withdrawn in eight transactions and handed over to Zeeshan. Amit was involved in the conspiracy and was aware of the murder, said the officials.

The shooters Gurmail Baljitsingh and Dharmaraj Kashyap were arrested soon after their accomplice, an absconding accused, Shiv Kumar Gautam fired the bullets that killed Siddique in Mumbai on October 12.

Later, both the shooters revealed the name of Pravin Lonkar, a Pune resident who was arrested on October 13, his elder brother and the main conspirator, Subham Lonkar is still wanted in the case. The fourth accused Harish Kumar Balakram Nishad was arrested from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh on October 15 for helping shooters who used to run a scrap shop in Pune and were part of planning, said a police officer.

Amit Kumar was produced in the court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody till November 4 for investigation and the three arrested accused are being questioned by the crime branch. The main shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam, main conspirators Shubham Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar are still at large.