The plot to assassinate former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique was allegedly orchestrated just 10 days after the shooting incident outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s residence in April, according to sources from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
The 14th April shooting incident this year outside Khan’s Bandra residence, involved two motorbike riders who fired multiple rounds. This attack led to the arrest of several individuals.
Following the incident, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang reportedly shifted its focus to people close to Salman Khan, with Siddique emerging as a key target due to his ties with the actor.
Investigations revealed that the gang utilised a covert communication system known as “dabba calling.” This illegal telephone exchange system was employed to co-ordinate the murder while evading police tracking.
Anmol Bishnoi, brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, allegedly used this system to direct operatives, including Shiv Kumar Gautam, Zeeshan Akhtar, Shubham Lonkar and Sujit Singh.
On 12th October this year, Siddique was fatally attacked near the Bandra office of his son, former Bandra East Congress MLA, Zeeshan Siddique. Crime Branch sources stated that lead shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam remained at the crime scene for nearly 20 minutes after the attack. Gautam discarded a bag containing a pistol, his shirt and his Aadhaar card (Indian government ID) blending into the crowd.
He later changed clothes, returned to the scene to monitor the aftermath, and took an auto rickshaw to Lilavati Hospital to confirm Siddique’s death. At 10:47pm IST, Gautam discarded his mobile phone at Kurla Railway Station to eliminate evidence. Authorities are still searching for the phone.
Further investigation revealed that Shubham Lonkar, another suspect, had received weapons training in the dense forests near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, in July. Allegedly Lonkar trained with an AK-47 under the guidance of Maoists, although this connection is still under scrutiny.
The investigation continues as authorities work to uncover more details about the conspiracy behind the murder of Siddique.
