'Rs 25 lakh, car, flat & a trip to Dubai': High price deal for shooters behind Baba Siddique assassination
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Nov 8, 2024, 5:10 PM ISTFour men arrested in connection with the murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique were promised a staggering bounty — Rs 25 lakh each, a luxury car, a flat, and even a lavish trip to Dubai.
Four men arrested in connection with the murder of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique were promised a staggering bounty — Rs 25 lakh each, a luxury car, a flat, and even a lavish trip to Dubai. The shocking revelation came to light following their intense interrogation by the Mumbai police.
On October 12, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan's office building in Bandra East. He sustained two bullet injuries and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, where he succumbed to his injuries.
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On Wednesday, the city’s crime branch arrested two additional suspects, Aditya Gulankar and Rafique Shaikh, both residents of Pune, who are believed to have played crucial roles in the sinister conspiracy.
"Ramphoolchand Kanojia (43), who was arrested in October, promised each of the four arrested accused—Rupesh Mohol (22), Shivam Kohad (20), Karan Salve (19), and Gaurav Apune (23)—a trip to Dubai, Rs 25 lakh in cash, a car, and a flat," a senior police officer revealed, according to a report by the Times of India (TOI).
According to the police, Kanojia’s funding was to come from Zeeshan Akhtar, a suspect still at large, accused of managing at least 10 bank accounts and transferring over Rs 4 lakh to the operatives to execute Siddique’s killing.
Gulankar, skilled in firearms, was reportedly trained in handling weapons near Pune’s Khadakwasla region. Initially, police sources say, the plot involved more shooters, but the masterminds trimmed the team down to three.
An officer further said, "The investigation showed that both the accused were in contact with previously arrested individuals Pravin Lonkar and Mohol. Lonkar and Mohol handed over a 9mm pistol and rounds to them, intended to be used in the crime. The 9mm pistol has been recovered." The weapon had been transported from Mumbai to Pune and passed through multiple hands before reaching Gulankar and Shaikh.
Police also disclosed that Kanojia, the alleged organizer, briefly received a fifth weapon, though he reportedly returned it before the murder.
Five firearms have been seized— some reportedly of Turkish and Australian origin — along with a startling cache of 64 bullets. Police have so far arrested 18 suspects in connection to Siddique's murder whose network spans from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra.
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