(MENAFN- Live Mint) In the Baba Siddique murder case, the Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested Shubham Lonkar in Pune. Pravin Lonkar is the brother of Shubuu Lonkar, who posted on social media that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the murder, ANI reported citing Mumbai Police.
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“Shubuu Lonkar is absconding at the moment. Pravin Lonkar gave shelter to both the arrested accused in Pune,” Mumbai Police further said.
Earlier, the police arrested a 28-year-old man named Pravin Lonkar, who, along with his brother, allegedly“enlisted” two of the three shooters involved in Siddiqui's murder.
As reported by PTI, a crime branch official on Sunday said Pravin and Shubham“enlisted” two alleged shooters - UP resident Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam. While Gautam is on the run, police have arrested Kashyap and another alleged shooter, identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a native of Haryana.“The official said police went to Pune looking for Shubham Lonkar but did not find him there. They then nabbed his brother Pravin for his alleged involvement in the crime,” added a crime branch official.
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NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, 66, was ambushed by three individuals at Kher Nagar, just outside his son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office in Bandra, Mumbai, on Saturday night. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Mumbai police.
While Shivkumar Gautam remains at large, police have arrested Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh and another alleged shooter, Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana.
Earlier, a Mumbai court remanded Gurmail to police custody until October 21.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai police have discovered a viral social media post purportedly from a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility for Siddique's murder.
“We are verifying the authenticity of this viral post,” a police official stated.
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Notably, some members of the Bishnoi gang had been arrested in connection with gunfire outside actor Salman Khan's residence in April of this year.
Siddique, a famous Muslim leader in Mumbai, was known for his close ties to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sanjay Dutt.
The Congress party has demanded a thorough investigation into Siddique's murder, asserting that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who oversees home affairs, should take moral responsibility for the apparent failure of law and order and resign. The opposition party contended that such killings indicate a deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state and suggested the government might be attempting to postpone election dates through these incidents.
The Mumbai police are investigating the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique from multiple angles, including potential contract killing, business rivalry, and threats related to a slum rehabilitation project. Officials believe the murder was a premeditated act.
Also Read: Baba Siddique News: Sidhu Moosewala's murder to firing outside Salman Khan house -5 crimes linked to Lawrence Bishnoi
A team from the Delhi Police's Special Cell is also being dispatched to Mumbai to assist with the investigation. The shooters fired four to five rounds from a 9.9 MM pistol, which has since been recovered by the police.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed deep regret over the incident, stating,“We have directed the police to ensure that no one takes the law into their own hands under any circumstances. We cannot allow any form of gang war to resurface in our city.”
The assassination of Baba Siddique marks the first high-profile political murder in Mumbai in the last three decades.
(With inputs from agencies)
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