Baba Siddique buried with state honours; test proves murder accused not minor

Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was laid to rest on Sunday (October 13) night with the state honours in the presence of a large number of people and political leaders across the spectrum amid tight security.

Mumbai Police accorded a guard of honour to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar) leader amid rain at Bada Kabrastan in the Marine Lines area.

Three held so far

Siddique, a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai known for his close links with several Bollywood stars, was shot dead on Saturday night prima facie by three persons at suburban Bandra.

Police have so far arrested two alleged shooters, originally from UP and Haryana, and a “co-conspirator” from Pune, believed to be involved in the murder plot, and formed multiple teams to unravel the conspiracy.

Watch: What transpired on the night of Baba Siddique's killing? Police reveal chilling details

Accused not minor

While one person, Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), was remanded in seven-day police custody on Sunday, an ossification (age) test of fellow accused, Dharmaraj Kashyap, was conducted later, which proved he is not a minor unlike what he claimed in court, news agency PTI reported quoting officials.

He was produced before the court late in the evening and sent to police custody till October 21 as well.

Singh is a resident of Haryana while Kashyap (19) is from Uttar Pradesh. The third person, who was allegedly at the spot during the firing, is yet to be caught.

Brothers in conspiracy

In another late-evening development, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police arrested 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar from Pune.

He is the brother of Shubham Lonkar, who was allegedly involved in the Nirmal Nagar firing case.

The brothers had allegedly hatched the conspiracy of killing Siddiqui and enlisted Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam in the plot, PTI reported quoting an official.

Funeral with state honours

Siddique’s funeral procession started from his Bandra residence, Maqba Heights, after Namaaz-e-Janaza was offered. His mortal remains draped in the Tricolour were taken in an ambulance to the final destination via the sea link, a distance of 17 km.

Senior police officers, politicians cutting across the party lines, and common people bid adieu to the 66-year-old former MLA.

(With agency inputs)