Pune-based trio twice recced Baba Siddique’s house and office: Cops

In the Baba Siddique murder case, three men arrested conducted a recce of the victim's locations. Police now have 14 suspects, with links to gangsters

MUMBAI: In the latest development in the Baba Siddique Murder case, the three men who were arrested from Pune on Wednesday had conducted a recce of the slain leader’s house and office in Bandra West in June, soon after being awarded the murder contract.

Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique with his late father Baba Siddique in Mumbai. (Raju Shinde/ HT file)

The crime branch officials revealed the trio also recced his son MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East, where the former Maharashtra minister was shot dead on October 12.

The trio, identified as Rupesh Rajendra Mohol, 22, Karan Rahul Salve, 19, and Shivam Arvind Kohad, 20, all residents of Pune were brought to Mumbai and produced before the Esplanade Metropolitan Magistrate court on Thursday. The court remanded them in police custody till November 4.

In addition to the three arrests, the police also nabbed one accused from Haryana on Wednesday identified as Amit Hisamsing Kumar, 29, who has been sent to the custody of the Mumbai Crime Branch till November 4.

The latest arrest took the number of persons in the custody of Mumbai police to 14.

Rupesh Mohol has completed his third year B.Com and his father is an auto driver. After completing HSC, Mohol was involved in the scrap dealing business. He has a previous case of assault in the local police station in Pune. Sale completed 12th and helped his family into the hotel business. Kohad has completed his HSC and works odd jobs in the film industry and his father runs a laundry shop.

Their interrogation revealed that the main murder planners were Subham Lonkar and his brother Pravin Lonkar, who are associated with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Police officials said that Rupesh Mohol has been influenced by a notorious criminal from Pune called Sharad Mohol. He kept Sharad’s picture as his WhatsApp DP (display picture). Sharad was allegedly killed by opposing gang members a few months ago.

Officials added that on July 7, Kanaujia and Bhagwat Singh left for Udaipur in Rajasthan and collected the weapons on July 11 and brought those to Mumbai. Mohol, Salve and Kohad, all three accused are unemployed and are involved in the criminal conspiracy, said a police officer.

Of the 14 arrested, shooters Gurmail Baljitsingh and Dharmaraj Kashyap were arrested soon after their accomplice, absconding accused, Shivkumar Gautam fired the bullets that killed Siddique.

Later, both the shooters revealed the name of Pravin Lonkar, 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.

Amit Kumar is said to be the key link between the mastermind and the shooters. The crime branch on Thursday also recorded the statement of Siddique’s son Zeeshan.