Mumbai, Jan 6: Fugitive gangster Anmol Bishnoi allegedly ordered the killing of NCP politician Baba Siddique to "create an atmosphere of terror" through his organised crime syndicate, as per the charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police on Monday.
The crime branch named 29 accused in the 4,590-page charge sheet, including 26 already arrested and three wanted persons, including Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Two other wanted persons are suspected co-conspirators, Mohammad Yasin Akhtar and Shubham Lonkar. Police said they have collected strong evidence against all the 29 accused. The crime branch filed the charge sheet in a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai.
Police stated that Anmol Bishnoi, along with other members of his organised crime syndicate, hatched a conspiracy to create terror and dominance, leading to the invocation of stringent MCOCA.
Former Maharashtra minister Siddique, 66, was shot dead on October 12, 2024, by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in the Bandra area of Mumbai.
The 26 arrested accused include the alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam and his aides. Police booked them under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder before invoking MCOCA against all of them. The arrested accused are currently in judicial custody.
Police have recorded statements of 88 people so far and listed a total of 180 witnesses, including former MLA Zeeshan Siddique, and recovered five firearms, six magazines, and 35 mobile phones. The investigators had earlier told the court that the role of Lawrence Bishnoi had not been established in the crime.
During one of the remand hearings, police had told the court that Anmol Bishnoi was operating a separate gang, mainly active in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. The prosecution had told the court that Anmol Bishnoi was trying to establish his supremacy as a gang leader.
A Mumbai Police official said in November that they had sent a proposal for extradition of Anmol Bishnoi, wanted in some high-profile crimes including the murder of Baba Siddique after US authorities informed them about his presence in their country.
Both Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi were named as wanted accused in the April 14 firing incident outside the Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra area.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Anmol Bishnoi. Lawrence Bishnoi is currently lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat.
A lookout circular was issued in April against Anmol Bishnoi, who had claimed responsibility for the firing incident outside Salman Khan’s residence.
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