After the 11th accused, a Haryana resident, was arrested in the murder of Baba Siddique, the Mumbai Police has reportedly been able to establish a link between him, one of the shooters and the alleged mastermind of the attack.
The 11 accused have been identified as 29-year-old Amit Hisamsing Kumar, who hails from Nathwan Patti, Kaithal, Haryana. Mumbai Crime Branch brought him to Mumbai on Wednesday morning. Kumar has been remanded into police custody till November 4.
The police said Kumar was helping Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar, the mastermind of the case, "logistically and financially." Akhtar is still on the run.
Kumar's role in the murder came to light during the interrogation of other accused in custody. He was involved in planning the murder and its execution, the police said.
This could be a breakthrough in the case, Mumbai police said, adding that Kumar is an important link between Gurmail Singh – one of the shooters in custody – and Akhtar, who in turn is the common link between the shooters and murder conspirators.
During the investigation, it was discovered that multiple suspects had received funds in their bank accounts from various individuals. However, in Akhtar's case, Kumar is believed to have provided financial aid.
Zeeshan Akhtar was released from Jalandhar jail on June 7 this year, where he was serving a prison term in a riots case.
Before this, Amit Kumar was also lodged in Kaithal jail.
Akhtar had several cases against him in Punjab’s Nakodar, and therefore, he decided to set his base at Kaithal in Haryana.
A mutual friend of Gurmail and Kumar, who live nearby, connected them with Akhtar. According to Mumbai police, Kumar received money in his bank account, which he then transferred to Akhtar.
According to media reports, Kumar transferred between ₹2 lakh and ₹2.5 lakh from a nationalized bank account to Akhtar in eight separate instalments.
Kumar, a Class 12 pass-out, runs a liquor store in Kaithal. According to Mumbai police, he knew about the plan to kill the NCP leader. He, however, did not belong to any gang and was just in touch with members of different gangs because of his wine shop.
But Akhtar is suspected to be part of the Vikram Brar gang. Notably, he did not even travel to Mumbai for the attack but had fled from Kaithal eight days before Siddique was shot dead. He does not hold a passport, police noted.
