Mumbai: The five arrested accused refused the ₹1 crore contract for Baba Siddique's murder after hearing his name. Despite being offered a significant amount, the accused backed out due to Baba Siddique's influence and reputation. This information came to light during the investigation, highlighting the hesitation among the accused in carrying out such a high-profile crime.
The initial contract for killing NCP leader and former state minister Baba Siddique was given to Ram Kanojia, who demanded ₹1 crore for the job, as revealed by his shocking confession after his arrest. According to Kanojia, it was the absconding suspect Shubham Lonkar who first contacted him for the murder. Given Baba Siddique's significant political influence in the state, Kanojia had demanded ₹1 crore for the task, which has come to light during the police investigation. Furthermore, a photo of MLA Zeeshan Siddique found on the phone of one of the arrested suspects has added more controversy to the case.
In connection with Baba Siddique's murder case, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested five individuals from Karjat, Panvel, and Dombivli on 18 October, including Ram Kanojia. Kanojia, a known criminal with several cases against him, made this shocking revelation during police interrogation. He stated that Shubham Lonkar initially contacted him for the murder of Baba Siddique. Kanojia has understood the consequences of such a high-profile assassination and was hesitant to take the contract, which led him to demand ₹1 crore for the job, as per the Crime Branch Sources.
Following this, Lonkar decided to hire shooters from Uttar Pradesh. Kanojia further noted that Lonkar believed shooters from Uttar Pradesh would be less aware of Siddique's political stature in Maharashtra and would carry out the task for a lower price.
Through Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, Shubham Lonkar recruited shooters from Uttar Pradesh, namely Dharamraj Kashyap, Gurmail Singh and Shivkumar Gautam, for the assassination. A lookout notice has been issued for Wanted accused Shubham Lonkar along with the two other suspects, Shivkumar Gautam and Zeeshan Akhtar, who are suspected of attempting to flee to Nepal.
