Mumbai: The ongoing investigation into the assassination of politician Baba Siddique has revealed a meticulously planned conspiracy involving multiple shooters, extensive reconnaissance, and the use of foreign-made weapons. Sources indicate that the assailants conducted thorough surveillance of Siddique’s home and office on five separate occasions over a span of 28 days.
Security agencies also found that the accused in Siddique’s murder case had carried out surveillance on actor Salman Khan’s residence. One of the arrested shooters, Gurmel Singh, reportedly scouted Khan's home last month. After visiting Galaxy Apartments, Singh destroys his mobile phone by breaking its display, adding further complications to the case.
During the crime branch investigation revealed that the arrested shooter Gurmel Singh, along with co-accused Dharmraj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar Gautam, reportedly practiced loading and unloading firearms at their residence in Kurla. The trio allegedly relied on unconventional YouTube tutorials for instructions on handling firearms.
One of the prime absconding accused Zeeshan Akhtar, a key figure in the murder conspiracy, was not in Mumbai at the time of the killing but is believed to have orchestrated the entire operation remotely. According to sources, Akhtar directly coordinated with Shiv Kumar Gauram, alias Shiva, another shooter who is currently absconding.
Investigation suggests that absconding shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam, alias Shiva, allegedly retrieved the firearm from Ghatkopar under the instructions of Shubham Loankar, a key figure in the conspiracy and an arms dealer linked to the notorious Bishnoi gang. Loankar communicated with Shiva through encrypted channels, ensuring the clandestine nature of their interactions. Investigation revealed that Shiva received the arms consignment in Ghatkopar from a courier agent associated with Shivam Loankar.
In a significant breakthrough, the Mumbai Crime Branch recovered an abandoned bag approximately 200 meters from Baba Siddique's office in Bandra East on Tuesday morning. Inside the bag, the crime branch found a 7.62mm gun and the Aadhaar card of an absconding accused, both sent for forensic analysis. According to sources, the weapon belonged to Shiv Kumar, who escaped from the scene after Siddique's assassination and discarded the bag during his flight.
Official sources revealed that Gurmel Singh has a criminal history and extensive experience handling a 9mm gun. In contrast, the other shooter, Shiv Kumar Gautam, is believed to have received training, possibly with assistance from the absconding accused, Shubham Loankar, before arriving in Mumbai to join the assassination team. Investigators suspect that the weapons used in the assassination reportedly originated from Punjab. Investigators suspect that the recovered 9MM foreign-made pistol may have reached lead henchman Zeeshan Akhtar via Pakistan or Nepal, raising concerns about cross-border arms smuggling and adding an international dimension to the case.
Sources also indicate that Akhtar had planned to facilitate the shooters' escape by arranging hideouts. The arrested individuals revealed that Shiva informed them following the murder, he and the other accused intended to escape to Omkareshwar, a town near Ujjain, where they would meet with a member of the notorious Lawrence gang to secure safe passage underground. This member would assist them in staying hidden for a few days before arranging their escape route.
At the crime scene, Mumbai police arrested two shooters along with three mobile phones. Investigators are scrutinizing several unregistered numbers found in their possession. Furthermore, it emerged that Shiva was receiving direct orders from the absconding accused Zeeshan Akhtar via encrypted apps like Snapchat, responsible for relaying these instructions to other involved accused.
The shooters were transported to Mumbai by Praveen, the brother of another accused, Shubham, who had traveled from Pune. During the investigation, the Crime Branch apprehended Harish Kumar Balakram (23), another accused, on Tuesday. Evidence obtained during police custody revealed that Shubham Laonkar, an absconding member of the Bishnoi gang, transferred approximately Rs 2 lakhs to Balakram's bank account. Balakram, a scrap dealer, employed the shooters at his scrap shop. Investigators further uncovered that Laonkar had arranged for fake Aadhaar cards for the shooters' residences, sending them via Snapchat with explicit instructions to take screenshots of the documents and delete them immediately.
