Mumbai: A day after three accused were held from Pune in connection with Baba Siddique’s fatal shooting, the Mumbai crime branch claimed that the contract to kill the NCP leader was first given to them.
The three accused – Rupesh Mohol, Karan Salve, and Shivam Kohad – had not only planned the murder but also twice conducted reconnaissance of Siddique’s house and two offices in Bandra, in collaboration with the Nitin Sapre and Ram Kanojia, the accused arrested earlier. They met Sapre in Dombivli in July before carrying out a recce of Siddique’s house and office.
Mohol, Salve, and Kohad were arrested from Pune on October 23. Their location was very close to the Warje area, where accused Praveen Lonkar is based. The three were presented in the Killa court on October 24, where the court remanded them to police custody until November 4.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Dutta Nalawade of the crime branch said that the three accused admitted to having been given the contract first. He added that their link with the Lonkar brothers is being investigated.
The Mumbai crime branch has revealed that the key accused, Shubham Lonkar had initially contracted Sapre and Kanojia to kill Siddique. After receiving the contract, the two contacted Mohol and his two associates, who had been in touch with them for a while from Pune, and hired them as shooters.
After the entire conspiracy was planned, Sapre and Kanojia demanded Rs 50 lakh from Shubham Lonkar to carry out the murder. However, when Lonkar refused to pay the full amount, a dispute arose and Sapre backed out of the plan, leading to Mohol and his associates cancelling the plan as well.
After Sapre backed out, Shubham Lonkar, along with Zeeshan Akhtar, hired three other shooters from Uttar Pradesh – Shiv Kumar Gautam, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh from Haryana. Sapre was retained for planning and weapons for Rs 5 lakh.
Crime branch officials said that Mohol was heavily influenced by Pune’s notorious gangster Sharad Mohol. They said he is a graduate in commerce but ended up as a scrap dealer. His father is an auto driver and has no siblings. In 2023, the Warje Malwadi police station registered an FIR against Mohol under the Arms Act. Meanwhile, Salvi is 19 years old and Kohad is 20 years old. Both have passed Class 12.
