Mumbai, October 20: In a significant development in the NCP leader Baba Siddiqui murder case, Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested another accused, Bhagwant Singh, in Navi Mumbai's Belapur area. Singh is accused of providing shelter and weapons to the shooters involved in Siddiqui's assassination. He is also alleged to have transported weapons from Rajasthan to Mumbai.
The investigation revealed that Siddiqui, a former Maharashtra minister, was shot outside his Nirmal Nagar office, sustaining two gunshot wounds to the chest. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on October 12.
Mumbai Police have now arrested a total of 10 people in connection with the case. On October 19, police suspended security guard Shyam Sonawane, who was present at the time of the incident, for allegedly failing to act against the assailants.
Additionally, a photograph of Baba Siddiqui's son, Zeeshan Siddiqui, was found on one of the arrested individuals' phones, shared via Snapchat. The police believe Snapchat was used by the shooters and conspirators to communicate, with messages being deleted after receiving instructions.
Another arrested accused, Ram Kanojia, disclosed during interrogation that he was initially approached for the contract to kill Siddiqui, demanding a fee of one crore rupees. When Kanojia and his associate Nitin Sapre refused, the contract was handed over to shooters from Uttar Pradesh, who agreed to carry out the task for a lower price, as they were less aware of Siddiqui’s prominence in Maharashtra.
