Baba Siddique killing: Police nab three suspects from Pune

Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS) Notching a breakthrough, the Mumbai Police have detained three more persons in connection with the sensational killing of ex-Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Ziauddin Siddique, officials said here on Tuesday.

They are: Harishkumar Balakram, hailing Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, besides Gullu and Monu, and all have been caught in Pune.

Balakram, 23, who works as a scrap dealer was part of the conspiracy to kill Siddique and had reportedly money and other logistics support to carry out the hit on the night of October 12.

The exact role and involvement of Gullu and Monu is being probed but they were reportedly living with the Lonkar siblings – Praveen, nabbed late on Sunday and currently in police custody till October 21, besides Shubham, who was interrogated in the past and allowed to go.

Late on October 12, two others were caught, including Gurnail Singh, arrested and in police custody, while his associate, purportedly a minor, was detained and is awaiting the medical report to ascertain his exact age.

This has taken the total arrests in the case so far to six and the police are on the lookout for other suspects including Shiv Kumar and Mohammed Zishan Akhtar.

A day after Siddique was shot dead, the dreaded Lawrence Bishnoi gang owned up responsibility, adding a fresh mafia angle to the incident that has sparked a nationwide political furore, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc attacking the ruling MahaYuti regime in the state.

According to police investigations and the custodial interrogation of the accused, the shooters were reportedly instructed to eliminate either Siddique, or his Congress MLA son Zeeshan Siddique – both close to Bollywood mega-star Salman Khan.

It may be recalled that the Bishnoi gang had given a loud warning of its murderous intentions by firing at Salman Khan’s home in Galaxy Apartments, Bandra West on April 14, creating a huge sensation at the height of the Lok Sabha elections.

In the past couple of years, both the mega-star and his celebrated screenplay writer father Salim Khan have been threatened on several occasions, and security has been beefed up for the family at their home and office.