Former Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Baba Siddiqui's last rites were conducted with full state honours at Bada Qabrastan in Mumbai on Sunday amid tight security. Siddiqui, a prominent Muslim leader known for his close ties to several Bollywood stars, was shot dead on Saturday night by three assailants. The Crime Branch has arrested two alleged shooters from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, as well as a “co-conspirator” from Pune, in connection with the murder plot. Multiple teams have been formed to investigate and unravel the conspiracy behind the crime.
9 PM (Saturday): Baba Siddiqui left his office to join a celebration where he planned to burst firecrackers. The atmosphere was lively and festive. While he was celebrating, three individuals suddenly appeared from a nearby vehicle near the Ram Mandir, a well-known temple close to his office.
The assailants arrived at the scene in an auto rickshaw and waited before carrying out the attack, reported NDTV, citing sources. The men, with their faces covered by handkerchiefs, were hard to identify. They pulled out guns and fired three shots at Baba Siddiqui.
9.15-9.30 PM (Saturday): Gunfire disrupted the festivities, creating panic among the crowd. During the investigation, police discovered that the assailants fired at Siddiqui while people were bursting firecrackers during a Durga visarjan procession. PTI reported citing police officials that the festive noise masked the sound of the gunshots, allowing the attackers to take advantage of the situation, as most people did not hear the shots.
Baba Siddiqui was hit in the chest and collapsed to the ground. The police were notified about the shooting soon after it happened. Officers arrived to secure the area and gather information about the incident.
After being shot, Baba Siddique was admitted on Saturday and, despite extensive resuscitative efforts, succumbed to his injuries shortly. Dr Jalil Parkar, a physician at Lilavati Hospital, said, “Around 9.30 pm, Baba Siddique was brought here. When he arrived in the emergency room, his pulse and blood pressure were unrecordable, and the ECG showed a flat line, along with a history of gunshot wounds to the chest. We shifted him to the ICU.”
Officials from the medical facility said that Siddique had lost a significant amount of blood, and resuscitation efforts were initiated immediately. He was transferred to the ICU for further revival attempts. Despite all efforts, doctors were unable to revive him, and he was declared dead at 11:27 PM on Saturday.
Following the incident, a forensic team visited the crime scene to collect evidence, while Mumbai police reviewed CCTV footage from nearby areas to gather more information about the attack. The shooters fired four to five rounds from a 9mm pistol, which the police have since recovered.
6 AM (Sunday): Baba Siddique was taken to Cooper Hospital for a post-mortem on Sunday, according to an official.
According to the police, two arrested accused are Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, while the third one, Shiv Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, is on the run.
Mumbai's esplanade court sent Gurmail Singh to Mumbai Crime Branch custody till 21 October on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Mumbai police said that Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, the other accused, has been identified in connection with the case.
11 PM (Sunday): The third suspect in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui has been arrested in Pune, according to Mumbai police on Sunday. The arrested individual, identified as 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar, is one of the conspirators who, along with Shubham Lonkar, recruited Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam for the plot, as stated by the police.
The shooters had been renting a house in Kurla for the past 25 to 30 days at a cost of ₹14,000 per month. ANI reported, citing Mumbai police, that “The suspects conducted a recce of Siddiqui's house and office, having been in Mumbai for about one and a half to two months while monitoring him.”
According to NDTV, citing sources, the assailants surveyed both the shooting location and Siddique's home and office in advance. Each of the shooters was reportedly paid ₹50,000.
A Facebook post by a gang member, which quickly went viral, claimed responsibility for targeting Baba Siddiqui due to his close ties to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and alleged connections to underworld figures like Dawood Ibrahim.
The post, made by an account named “Shubuu Lonkar Maharashtra,” referenced Anuj Thapan, who was involved in a shooting incident outside Salman Khan's home and later died by suicide in police custody.
Part of the post addressed Salman Khan directly, stating: “Salman Khan, we don't want this war, but you have harmed our brother... We have no enmity with anyone, but whoever helps Salman Khan or Dawood gang, keep your accounts in check.”
The post further warned, “If anyone kills any of our brothers, we will definitely react. We have never attacked first.” It also mentioned that Baba Siddiqui's honor was being praised, highlighting his past associations with Dawood under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The post concluded that the motive behind his death was linked to Anuj Thapan and the connections between Dawood, Bollywood, politics, and property dealings.
The post further warned, “If anyone kills any of our brothers, we will definitely react. We have never attacked first.” It also mentioned that Baba Siddiqui's honor was being praised, highlighting his past associations with Dawood under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The post concluded that the motive behind his death was linked to Anuj Thapan and the connections between Dawood, Bollywood, politics, and property dealings.
Baba Siddiqui was well-known for hosting grand Iftar parties that attracted top Bollywood stars. As a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, he had close relationships with several celebrities, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sanjay Dutt.
His assassination marks the first high-profile political murder in Mumbai in nearly three decades. In the early 1990s, BJP MLAs Ramdas Nayak and Premkumar Sharma, from Bandra and Khetwadi respectively, were shot dead. Additionally, Shiv Sena legislators Vitthal Chavan and Ramesh More were also gunned down in Mumbai during that period.
Baba Siddiqui, a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, was known for his close connections with several Bollywood stars. Salman Khan has reportedly received threats from Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang multiple times, primarily due to the 1998 blackbuck hunting case.
In a 2023 interview, Bishnoi stated that Salman Khan had disrespected the Bishnoi community by killing a blackbuck, which is considered a sacred animal to them, as reported by the news agency PTI on August 30.
(With inputs from agencies)
