CHANDIGARH: The main suspect in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party leader and former minister Baba Siddique has been identified as 21-year-old Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar. He belongs to Punjab. Mumbai police have cast a net for him.
Baba Siddique, a 66-year-old veteran politician, was shot dead outside his office in Mumbai's Bandra during Dussehra celebrations on Saturday night. A day after the murder, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the killing.
According to sources, Zeeshan Akhtar allegedly passed on information about Siddique's location to the three shooters, one of whom, the 23-year-old Gurmail Singh belongs to Haryana.
Police sources said that Zeeshan hails from Shakar village in Nakodar of Punjab and there are nine cases, ranging from attempt to murder, dacoity, and robbery to extortion registered against him.
He was arrested on the charges of organized crime in 2022 by the Jalandhar Police and then sent to Patiala Central Jail. He was released on June 7 this year. In jail he reportedly came in contact with the associates of Lawrence Bishnoi gang who allegedly gave him the contract to kill Baba Siddique and after his release he met Gurmail Singh in Kaithal.
Zeeshan had been giving directions to Gurmail, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar, "He allegedly provided information about Siddique’s location to the three shooters at the time of the killing and also allegedly assisted them with logistic support, including arranging rental accommodation," said sources.
Sources further claim that Akhtar was directly in touch with Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, who is now in US, through a specialized app.
A senior police officer said, "the Mumbai Police is in touch with the Punjab Police."
The Jalandhar Police is tight-lipped on the matter. A police officer said that the Mumbai police has not contacted them so far.
Gurmail Singh disowned by family
Meanwhile the 23-year old Gurmail Singh of Kaithal in Haryana, who is one of the three alleged suspects arrested for killing Siddique, had been disowned by his family 11 years ago.
The villagers of Nard in Kaithal district told the media that Singh had allegedly murdered his friend's brother few years ago near the Rudri Temple in Kaithal district. Following this, he was arrested by the police and was in Kaithal jail where he came in contact with the associates of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. After Singh came out on bail, he didn't stay in his village for long and left for Mumbai.
The locals said that Singh visited the village six months ago.
Singh’s grandmother, Phulli Devi said that they had disowned him 11 years years ago,
"As far as we are concerned, he is dead. They (police) might as well shoot him in the middle of the road it would not affect us at all. When he came home last time he stayed for just a few minutes. I had gone out for some work and by the time I returned he had left. He had not been in touch with the family. He was in jail for four years."
Superintendent of Police of Kaithal Rajesh Kalia said that the accused was arrested in a murder case in 2019, in which he got bail later and so far the police had not received any request from Mumbai Police seeking information about the accused. He has a couple of other cases registered against him.
