Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique. File photo: X/@zeeshan_iyc
Baba Siddique murder: Son Zeeshan's photo found in suspect's phone
Police sources say Zeeshan’s photo was shared with the accused by the handler through Snapchat, which the shooters and conspirators used to exchange messages
One of the accused who shot dead NCP leader Baba Siddique was found to have a photograph of his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique in his mobile phone, investigators said.
The phone was recovered from one of the accused arrested during the investigation into the October 12 murder of the politician in Bandra in Mumbai.
Snapchat messages
NDTV quoted police sources as saying that Zeeshan’s photo was shared with the accused by the handler through Snapchat, which was used by the shooters and conspirators to exchange messages.
Also read: Baba Siddique murder case: 5 held after raids in Panvel, Raigad; arrests rise to nine
These messages were later deleted based on instructions from the handler, who is said to be a member of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Baba Siddique was shot by three men near Zeeshan's office.
Nine arrests so far
Nine men have been arrested for the crime. They include two of the three shooters.
Also read: Bishnoi's Men: How a pool of thugs carried out Baba Siddique’s killing
Five of the nine – Nitin Gautam Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia (43) – have been arrested on charges of providing firearms and logistical support to the shooters.
Three men, including one of the shooters, are on the run.
How suspects were picked
Kanoujia, a resident of Panvel in Raigad, told the police that the contract to kill Siddique was initially given to him and Sapre. But he did not want to kill Siddique.
The job was then given to Dharmraj Kashyap, Gurnail Singh, and Shivkumar Gautam. Kashyap and Singh were arrested on the day of the crime but Gautam escaped.
The accused told the police that Kashyap and Gautam were probably chosen for the job because they did not know about Baba Siddiqui's stature in Maharashtra. They were also ready to kill for a smaller amount.
Bishnoi, in jail since 2015, has been accused of running a transnational crime syndicate, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). His name has been linked to high-profile cases of murder and extortion.
