Baba Siddique murder: Mumbai police file charge sheet against 26; Anmol Bishnoi named as wanted

Mumbai: The Mumbai police crime branch on Monday filed a charge sheet against 26 individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Ziauddin Abdul Rahim Siddique, popularly known as Baba Siddique, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister.

The charge sheet also identified three wanted suspects, including Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Mohammed Yasin Akhtar (also known by aliases Mohammed Jamil, Kehi, and Jessi), and Pune resident Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar. Police described the trio as key conspirators in the high-profile killing. Investigators allege that Anmol Bishnoi, the leader of an organised crime syndicate, orchestrated the murder “to establish supremacy in Mumbai.”

Police said the murder took place late on the evening of October 12, 2024, outside the Bandra East office of Siddique’s son, Zeeshan Siddique. The 66-year-old politician was shot as he left the building at approximately 9:15 p.m., accompanied by a police guard.

Three assailants, armed with sophisticated pistols, had been following Siddique. As he walked towards his car, parked about 25 to 30 metres away, one of the men, identified as Shivkumar Gautam, allegedly fired six shots. Three bullets struck Siddique in the upper body, causing fatal injuries. Siddique was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he died within an hour, police said.

According to the charge sheet, Gautam fled the scene along a busy road, changing his T-shirt behind a parked vehicle and discarding the firearm used in the attack in a backpack. He later returned to the crime scene and even visited Lilavati Hospital, where the NCP leader was declared dead.

Meanwhile, Gautam's two accomplices, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh, attempted to escape towards Kherwadi Junction. They were apprehended by police officers on patrol in the area.