Mumbai: A Mumbai Police official confirmed the arrest of one more person on Sunday in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, bringing the total number of arrests in this high-profile case to ten. The city’s crime branch arrested the tenth suspect, Bhagwant Singh, in Belapur, Navi Mumbai.
Singh is accused of helping the shooters by giving them with shelter and weapons. Allegations suggest that he took a firearm from Udaipur to Mumbai for the crime. The crime branch has since placed Singh in police custody for further interrogation regarding his role in the incident. Baba Siddique was shot and critically injured on October 12 near the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, located in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
Key conspirator identified
On Saturday, police revealed that Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar has been identified as a key figure linking the shooters to the main conspirators. Currently wanted by authorities, Akhtar is believed to have managed around ten bank accounts used to transfer funds to the suspects. A police source indicated that Akhtar, aged 29, along with another wanted individual, Shubham Lonkar, 23, from Pune, played crucial roles in orchestrating the crime. Akhtar reportedly directed Lonkar to arrange the shooters and sent them between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh for expenses.
It is alleged that Akhtar transferred funds from August until early October. Siddique was shot outside his son’s office on October 12, but the motive behind the murder remains unclear. An officer said that two of the five people arrested on Friday had also conducted reconnaissance for the crime and Akhtar had financially supported them as well.
5 arrested for illegal arms supply
The five suspects arrested on Friday include Nitin Gautam Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia (43). They allegedly received a combined total of Rs 5 lakh, both in cash and through bank transfers.
Sapre hails from Dombivli, while Pardhi, Thombre, and Chetan Pardhi (27) are from Ambernath in Thane district. Kanoujia lives in Panvel, Raigad. The group is suspected of supplying various weapons to the shooters, including pistols sourced from Turkey, Australia and local suppliers. Apart from that, police believe that Akhtar may have used other people’s bank accounts for financial transactions.
