New Delhi: Multiple recces in days leading up to the shooting, guns for hire and the sheer brazenness with which the attack was executed hint at involvement of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in the murder of Baba Siddique, Delhi police sources told ThePrint.
A team of the Delhi Police Special cell is headed to Mumbai to help police there probe the murder, a source said, adding, “Special Cell has investigated multiple murders ordered by Bishnoi and rival gangs”.
Sources in Mumbai police said they are still verifying all angles, adding that Siddique had not reported any threats from the Bishnoi gang. They, however, confirmed to ThePrint that probe so far has revealed the Bishnoi gang’s involvement in the murder.
A three-time former MLA, Siddique was leaving his office in Mumbai’s Bandra West for his residence in the same area around 9.15 pm Saturday when three men opened fire at him. He was brought to Lilavati hospital at around 9.30 pm, with no pulse rate or blood pressure and had two gunshot wounds on his chest. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, the 66-year-old leader with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was declared dead at 11.27 pm.
Mumbai Police Crime Branch has so far arrested two suspected shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) who belongs to Haryana’s Kaithal and another who is a native of Uttar Pradesh. A third suspect is on the run.
A Mumbai police officer who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint Sunday, “We are identifying other suspects in the case. There were others who did the recce and aided the shooters with logistical support.”
Police sources also said that a recce of spots Siddique frequented was conducted as early as three months ago, adding that the two suspects now in custody claim they were paid Rs 50,000 as a token amount.
Arms used in the murder were delivered to the shooters a few days earlier and they arrived outside Siddique’s office in an auto-rickshaw, it is learnt.
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Lawrence Bishnoi angle
On Sunday, a purported social media post by one ‘Shubuu Lonkar’ surfaced in which he claimed Baba Siddique was murdered because of Anuj Thapan, who was arrested from Punjab in April this year in connection with the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence. Thapan died, allegedly by suicide, while in custody on 1 May.
The unverified social media post by ‘Shubuu Lonkar’ following Siddique’s murder also mentions “Dawood’s Bollywood”—an apparent reference to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his alleged proximity to Bollywood.
Further, the post also mentions actor Salman Khan, who was considered close to Siddique.
ThePrint could not independently verify the authenticity of the post.
Asked about it, a source in the Mumbai police said, “We have seen the viral social media post and are verifying the authenticity and context.”
Police had suspected the role of Bishnoi gang in the shooting outside Salman Khan’s Bandra residence owing to threats the actor has received in the past for involvement in the killing of two black bucks in 1998.
The black buck is considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.
The Bishnoi gang along with its known affiliates Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara has been suspected to be behind several high-profile murders including that of performer Sidhu Moosewala and Karni Sena faction chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. While both Brar and Godara are wanted fugitives, Bishnoi is currently lodged in Sabarmati jail, Gujarat.
A dreaded gangster, Bishnoi it is suspected has managed to run a 700-member gang from behind bars and has dozens of cases of murder and extortion lodged against him.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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