Baba Siddique’s Murder: Except One, All Shooters Watched YouTube On How To Handle A Gun

By OB Bureau On Oct 17, 2024

New Delhi: The people behind NCP leader Baba Siddique’s murder left no stone unturned to ensure that they executed the plan with precision taking no chances on ammunition or escape routes.

Investigation into the murder of a former Maharashtra minister has revealed details of the planning behind the operation which included the acquisition of a substantial cache of bullets, YouTube firearms training, and the careful orchestration of getaway plans.

The accused shooters had failed over ten times in the past before killing him on October 13. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was shot dead outside his son MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s residence in Bandra. A senior police officer said the shooters failed in their previous attempts to kill Baba Siddique for several reasons. “At times, Siddique didn’t turn up, and when he did, they were forced to abandon the plan because he was surrounded by too many of his supporters,” a senior police official told the Times Of India.

Consequently, the shooters were instructed to murder Siddique near his son’s office in Kherwadi, as it is an open area, said police officers, according to the report.

So far, four individuals have been arrested, including Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters; Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23), and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar, who belongs to Pune. Nisad and Kashyap belong to the same village as the wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam.

The accused – Gurmail Singh (23) and Dharamaraj Kashyap (19), were equipped with 65 bullets, a stockpile intended to guarantee they would not run out of ammunition. Six of these bullets were fired on the night of October 12, when Siddique was shot dead, NDTV reported quoting sources.

Authorities have recovered two firearms used by the accused, an Austrian-made pistol and a locally manufactured country-made pistol. Alongside these weapons, police found 28 live bullets on Singh and Kashyap at the time of their arrest. The investigative team also discovered a black bag, located just a short distance from the murder site, containing a Turkish-made 7.62 bore pistol and 30 live rounds. This bag also held two Aadhar cards – one in the name of Shivkumar Gautam, who is also a suspect in the case, and another under the name Sumit Kumar, though both cards bore Shivkumar’s photo, the report added.

According to the police, the accused had initially planned to carry out the attack using a motorbike. The idea was for the shooters to ride up to the location, execute the murder, and then escape quickly by bike. However, a traffic accident involving two of the suspects caused them to abandon this plan. Instead, the three perpetrators decided to travel by auto-rickshaw to the site of the crime. After the murder, they quickly changed their clothes to avoid detection. Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, one of the arrested co-conspirators, had transferred Rs 60,000 for the purchase of a motorbike. Out of this amount, Rs 32,000 was used to buy a second-hand bike, which was intended to be used in the assassination.

The prime accused, Shubham Lonkar, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is still at large. Mumbai Police have issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Lonkar, who is believed to be attempting to flee to Nepal. His photographs have been circulated at the Nepal border in an effort to prevent his escape.

Lonkar had remained active on social media until just three days before the murder and claimed responsibility for Siddique’s killing via his Facebook profile on October 9. His brother, Praveen Lonkar, has been arrested for allegedly providing financial support to the killers.

Authorities have not yet managed to track down Shubham’s exact location, but intelligence suggests he may have been in contact with key criminal networks.

The police revealed that the shooters learned to operate guns by watching YouTube tutorials. In the weeks leading up to the murder, the accused rented a house in the Kurla area of Mumbai, where they practised loading, unloading, and handling weapons. Due to a lack of open space, they engaged in “dry practice” drills and rehearsing with unloaded guns.

It has also been revealed that Shivkumar Gautam, another prime suspect, had experience with firearms from celebratory firings at weddings in Uttar Pradesh, where he is believed to have honed his shooting skills. Gautam, described as the “main shooter,” not only participated in the planning but also trained Kashyap and Singh in the handling of guns. The trio communicated frequently via social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, using these apps to stay under police radar while coordinating the assassination plan.

Lonkar, the key suspect on the run, was previously arrested in January under the Arms Act in Maharashtra’s Akola district. His arrest had led to the seizure of more than ten firearms.