The Mumbai police have revealed that attackers who killed NCP leader Baba Siddique were paid ₹50,000 each for the crime. The conspiracy of the sensational murder was hatched in Pune.
Baba Siddique's son, Zeeshan Siddique, a Congress MLA in Mumbai, was also on the radar.
The three attackers were also carrying pepper spray to immobilize the target. However, they didn't use the chemical as one of them opened fire.
Baba Siddique murder: Fourth accused arrested in UP's Bahraich
The handlers of the accused who shot dead Baba Siddique last Saturday had handed them a photo of Baba Siddique for identification. They also gave them a flex banner to identify the target, reported NDTV.
The three shooters have been identified as Gurmel Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam. Gautam is absconding.
The police have also arrested a man named Pravin Lonkar. His brother had written a social media post claiming gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was behind the murder.
Also read: 'Yaar tera gangster...': Baba Siddique killer flaunted criminal status on social media
The post said that Baba Siddique was murdered because of his proximity to actor Salman Khan. It also warned those helping Khan and Dawood Ibrahim.
{{/usCountry}}The post said that Baba Siddique was murdered because of his proximity to actor Salman Khan. It also warned those helping Khan and Dawood Ibrahim.
{{/usCountry}}The attackers were initially paid ₹50,000 each. They were promised a bigger sum after the completion of the murder. They bought a motorcycle to track Baba Siddique's movements. They would travel from Kurla to Bandra every day to survey the house and office of Baba Siddique. They would also visit places frequented by Zeeshan Siddique.
Also read: Baba Siddique murder: Why did 3 accused bring pepper spray with them?
Gautam fired at Baba Siddique. The other two stood guard.
Gautam fled the spot after the murder.
Shubham Lonkar reportedly gave the shooters guns and ammunition. He is absconding.
The police have recovered two pistols, 28 bullets and four phones from the accused.
Also read: Baba Siddique murder: ‘Salman Khan should apologise to Bishnoi community,’ says BJP MP
Baba Siddique was laid to rest on Sunday. Salman Khan visited his house to pay his last respects.
This came months after a gang fired shots outside Salman Khan's house in Mumbai.