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Baba Siddique murder case: Man who provided financial support to suspects arrested
Baba Siddique was gunned down on October 12 near his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra East's Nirmal Nagar area by three assailants.
The Maharashtra Police on Friday arrested a man from Nagpur in connection with the Baba Siddique murder case. This is the 26th arrest in the case.
A crime branch team that had gone to Nagpur in connection with the probe held Sumit Dinkar Wagh (26), a resident of Panaj in Akot tehsil in Akola. He is being brought back to Mumbai.
According to officials, Wagh transferred money to Nareshkumar Singh—brother of an earlier arrested accused, Gurnail Singh—as well as other suspects, including Rupesh Mohol and Harishkumar.
He carried out the transactions through internet banking using a newly procured SIM card, which was registered in the name of another arrested accused, Salman Vora.
Also Read | Shooter briefed masterminds after killing Baba Siddique
Vora was arrested on November 17 in collaboration with the Akola Crime Branch.
"The money was transferred on the instructions of wanted accused Shubham Lonkar, who hails from the same tehsil as Wagh and the two are close friends. They were collegemates in Akot. Salman Vora, a resident of Petlad in Anand, was held recently from Balapur in Akola," an official said.
The investigation in the case 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.
Also Read | Baba Siddique murder planner Shubham Lonkar had recced for Aftab Poonawala kill in Delhi
During investigation, it also emerged Shiv Kumar Gautam visited the spot of the firing in Bandra East after the crime and later even went to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West to confirm Siddique’s death.
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.
