Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested a ‘co-conspirator’ who along with his brother ‘enlisted’ two of the three alleged shooters in the Baba Siddique murder case. The accused, identified as 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar, was arrested from Pune.
Lonkar is the brother of Subu Lonkar, who, through a Facebook post, had claimed responsibility for the killing of the NCP on Saturday, police said. The Mumbai Crime Branch has named Subu Lonkar as an accused in the Baba Siddiqui murder case. Subu, currently on the run, had reportedly posted on social media claiming that the Bishnoi gang was behind the murder.
He, along with his brother Praveen Lonkar, allegedly hired Shivprasad Gautam and Dharmaraj Kashyap, both of whom worked at a scrap shop in Pune, to carry out the murder. The police are actively searching for Subu Lonkar, who remains absconding.
Baba Siddique was shot dead in the Bandra area on Saturday night, causing massive political storm in the state of Maharashtra which will go to Assembly polls next month.
Siddique was a prominent figure in Maharashtra politics. His death was mourned by several top leaders across the country. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar expressed deep sorrow over the incident. The CM has called for a high-level investigation into the matter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed his condolences on Siddique’s death.
Two accused in the case have been arrested, however, notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is reportedly behind the attack. The police are investigating all possible angles and the Bishnoi angle has neither been confirmed or ruled out yet.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has registered a case at Nirmal Nagar Police Station in connection with the murder under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
The case has been registered at Nirmal Nagar Police Station under Crime Registration No. 589/2024, Sections 103(1), 109, 125, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3, 25, 5, and 27 of the Arms Act, and Section 37 and section 137 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
NCP Ajit Pawar faction leader Baba Siddique was laid to rest at the Bada Qabrastan in Marine Lines in Mumbai on Sunday evening (October 13). His funeral procession was carried out in which a large crowd of people participated. Baba Siddique was buried in grave B-13 at the Bada Cemetery.
