A 23-year-old man was arrested from Pune on Wednesday in connection with the murder of Baba Siddique. Police officials said Gaurav Vilas Apune had been offered the murder contract and even met with other suspects to plan the assassination. He was provided with suitable weapons and received extensive training before backing out of the conspiracy.
An official told PTI that Apune had been promised ₹25 lakh, an apartment as well as a vehicle for killing the NCP leader. During interrogation, it also came to light that he had full knowledge about the matter and remained in direct contact with the key accused — Shubham Lonkar and Ram Kanoujia.
Apune also received weapon-handling and shooting training after being roped in by alleged masterminds Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar — both of whom are wanted in the case. The 23-year-old had a firearm and bullets with him — which he gave to one of the wanted accused. A search is underway for the weapon which was in his possession.
He was produced before a local court which sent him to police remand till November 13.
Senior NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead by three gunmen near his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in the Bandra area of Mumbai on October 12. Officials have linked Anmol Bishnoi — the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi — to the murder but the motive remains unknown.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has deployed five teams outside Maharashtra to locate additional suspects. Teams are actively searching in Haryana for an individual named Zeeshan — identified as the alleged mastermind behind the murder.
Meanwhile a key eye-witnesses in the Baba Siddique murder case was threatened by an unknown caller on Wednesday. Mumbai Police said that the individual received death threats and was asked to pay ₹5 crore if they wished to live. A complaint has been registered against an unknown person at Khar police station.
(With inputs from agencies)
