Mumbai Police on Tuesday (October 15) detained two more people in connection with Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Baba Siddique murder case. One of the detainee has been identified as Harishkumar Balakram (23). The police nabbed him from Bahraich in UP, Bahraich has been in news in recent days because of religious riots. With the fresh detainments, the number of people in police custody has risen to five. Name of the other detainee was not immediately clear.
As per ANI, Balakram provided money to the shooters.
Mumbai Police have already arrested Gurmail Singh (23) Dharmaraj Kashyap, Pravin Lonkar previously. Singh and Kashyap are allegedly the shooters while Lonkar is an alleged 'co-conspirator'.
Another suspect, Shivkumar Gautam, is on the run. He hails from Bahraich as well and is suspected to be the third shooter who approached Siddique on the night he was killed.
The Murder
Baba Siddique (66), a former minister in the state of Maharashtra was gunned down on October 12 just outside his legislator son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra. The accused shot Siddique right on the day of Dussera and even when the festivities were going on in the Bandra area. Siddique was shot when he was entering a vehicle around 9:30 at night.
Following the shooting, Siddique was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but was declared dead at 11:27 pm. Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the murder through a post on social media. The post is being verified by the police.
Mumbai crime branch has made various teams to arrest Shivkumar Gautam who is still on the run. Another suspect, Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar is on the run as well.
The murder investigation is examining various angles like contract killing, political or business rivalry, issues about slum rehabilitation projects and more.