Baba Siddique murder: Shooters went to forest near Khopoli to practise firing, reveal Mumbai Police

Baba Siddique murder: In a fresh revelation in connection with the murder of Baba Siddique, Mumbai Police disclosed the accused went into a forest in adjoining Raigad district to practice shooting before killing the former Maharashtra Minister.

Baba Siddique, a noted politician from Mumbai's Bandra who had recently joined the NCP-led by Ajit Pawar, was fatally shot on October 12, near the office of his MLA son in Bandra.

Mumbai Police said that the investigation revealed that before targeting Baba Siddique, the accused practised shooting at a tree in the forest near Palasadari village, near the waterfall located on Karjat-Khopoli Road.

“Interrogation of the arrested accused persons revealed that shooters Dharmaraj Kashyap, Gurmail Singh, both arrested, and Shivkumar Gautam, who is absconding, practiced firing near a waterfall,” PTI quoted the city police's crime branch as saying.

On Monday, an investigation revealed that the firearms used in the murder were sourced from Rajasthan by two of the arrested accused. Ram Kanoujia and Bhagwat Singh Om Singh, had gone to Rajasthan to collect two of the three pistols, both foreign made, used by gunmen.

Two days ago, police arrested a scrap dealer from Navi Mumbai for allegedly providing a weapon to shooters. He has been identified as Bhagwat Singh Om Singh (32).

Of the 10 accused arrested, five had demanded ₹50 lakh for the job, but backed out later due to disagreement over payment and also considering the slain politician's clout.

Meanwhile, Police teams have fanned out in search of wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam, Shubham Lonkar and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar against whom a look-out circular has been issued to prevent them from fleeing the country.

Last week, Zeeshan Siddique, son of slain NCP leader, said his father's killers have "turned their sight" on him, but he can't be intimidated as he has the blood of a lion in his veins and carries his "roar".