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Shops shut, locals uneasy after arrest in Baba Siddique murder case
Owners of shops at Bhalekar Wasti down shutters following action by Mumbai crime branch in the area as part of Baba Siddique murder probe
Pune: A tense atmosphere gripped Bhalekar Wasti in Pune’s Karvenagar adjoining Warje area on Monday, following the arrest of Pravin Lonkar. Lonkar Dairy and Balaji Scrap Centre, shops linked to suspects in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique in Mumbai, were closed. The Mumbai crime branch’s actions in the locality led to owners of neighbouring shops, including stationery, photocopy centre and saloon, down shutters.
Lonkar Dairy and Balaji Scrap Centre are operated by the Lonkar brothers — Pravin and Shubham — and a man named Harish. These businesses are where the other accused, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shiva Gautam, reportedly came into contact with suspect Shubham. Efforts to reach the landlord, Somnath Angre, were unsuccessful as he had vacated his home with his family. Shubham’s alleged confession post and his possible role in the murder of Baba Siddique are under investigation even as he is on the run.
The Lonkar brothers, well-known in the area, have been operating the Lonkar Dairy for the past two years. Last year, Harish, originally from Uttar Pradesh, rented an adjoining shop and became a scrap dealer, bringing several young men from his home state to support his business.
According to locals, Shubham celebrated his birthday in February with over 100 attendees, just months after his release from jail. Though the police claim he was absent from the area during June and July, some residents said they saw him at Lonkar Dairy during Navratri.
Sunil Darshane, a resident, described how boys from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh would gather scrap in the neighbourhood for Harish. “About eight months ago, the police raided the scrap shop for selling stolen goods, which led to Harish’s eviction by the landlord. He later rented another shop nearby and resumed his business,” Darshane said.
Dnyanesh Mali, another local, recalled seeing familiar faces from the TV coverage of the Baba Siddiqui case. “I’m certain that the accused seen on TV are the same boys who collected scrap here,” he said. Mali mentioned that he gave scrap to Balaji Scrap Centre during a cleaning drive before Dussehra, but still hasn’t been paid ₹120. “They performed a pooja on Dussehra, but the shop has been shut since.”
Harish also rented a nearby room for ₹3,000 per month, where he lived with others, including Kashyap, Gautam and two others. His neighbour, Siyaram Prajapati, said, “The crime branch came on Sunday, seized documents, and detained two individuals. We’ve not seen them in the last few months.” Kashyap has already been arrested by the Mumbai Police in the murder case.
The room’s landlord, Dilip Nimbalkar, admitted that he had no formal rental agreement with Harish, who had requested the space for six months. “Harish went to Uttar Pradesh after an accident two months ago, and his phone has been switched off since. He hasn’t paid rent since then,” he said.
Manoj Kevat, a cook at a nearby cloud kitchen, said Harish’s group would leave for work around 8 am and return by 12:30 pm, only to head back out in the evening. “On Sunday morning, the Mumbai police detained two persons, named Gullu and Monu, from their room,” Kevat said.
Locals recognised the suspects’ photographs and expressed surprise upon seeing them linked to the case on television. Gautam, who worked briefly as a delivery boy for Kevat’s kitchen last year, has not been seen for the past two months, along with the other accused.
