Baba Siddique murder: Fourth accused sent to police custody till October 21

MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Tuesday sent fourth accused arrested in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique sent to police custody till October 21. A 23-year-old man, Harishkumar Balakram, from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested for allegedly providing financial and logistical support to the shooters involved in the killing of Mumbai leader Baba Siddique. Balakram worked as a scrap dealer in Pune’s Warje area. He was caught by a crime branch team from Bahraich on Monday and brought to Mumbai on Tuesday.This arrest brings the total number of detainees in Siddique’s murder case to four. Earlier, police had detained Gurmail Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, both alleged shooters, and Pravin Lonkar, identified as a co-conspirator.Baba Siddique, aged 66, was shot outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Nirmal Nagar, Mumbai, on Saturday night. He was taken to Lilavati Hospital, where he died. Various teams have been formed to apprehend others involved, including Shivkumar Gautam and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar.Authorities are investigating multiple possible motives, such as a contract killing, political or business rivalry, or disputes involving a slum rehabilitation project. Siddique was a notable Muslim leader in Mumbai and had connections with Bollywood personalities like Salman Khan.Suspected shooter Gautam, from Gandara village in Bahraich, reportedly had no prior criminal record before his involvement in the crime. However, he had recently posted content online, showing off a “gangster” persona.Pravin Lonkar allegedly recruited two of the three shooters. Police are still searching for his brother, Shubham Lonkar, who is reportedly linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The prosecution alleges Shubham and others orchestrated the shooting and provided the weapons used.The police are also checking a social media post, attributed to a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claiming responsibility for Siddique’s murder. They have contacted Facebook and Instagram for further information.(With inputs from PTI)