Mumbai Police arrested 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar from Pune, the third accused in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. Lonkar is believed to be a key conspirator who hired shooters, including Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam, to execute the killing. While Lonkar is now in custody, one of the shooters remains at large.
So far, two shooters involved in the attack, Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap, have been arrested and presented in court. A holiday court has extended their police custody till October 21 as investigations continue. Another suspect is being pursued by Mumbai Police in Madhya Pradesh.
The 66-year-old Baba Siddique was ambushed by three attackers near his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra during the busy Dussehra celebrations. Despite high police alert, the shooters fired six rounds, three of which fatally struck Siddique in the chest. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Mumbai Police have formed 15 teams to investigate the murder and are working to identify those who provided logistical support. Two pistols and 28 live rounds were recovered from the arrested shooters, and authorities are working to bring the absconding suspect to justice.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi has called for a CBI investigation into the incident, raising concerns over the law and order situation in Maharashtra.
