Killers of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique were in contact with Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, before they killed the former Maharashtra minister, as per Mumbai Police.
On October 12, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in suburban Bandra while he was bursting firecrackers on Dussehra.
The three suspected shooters talked to Anmol Bishnoi through Snapchat, an instant messaging app. "Anmol was in contact with the accused from Canada and America, four mobile phones have also been seized from the accused," the Mumbai Police Crime Branch said.
As per the Mumbai Crime Branch, the accused would delete the instruction message immediately after receiving it.
"Similarly, when the Snapchat of the arrested accused was closely examined, it was found that the shooters and Pravin Lonkar were directly in touch with Anmol Bishnoi." Praveen Lonkar is accused of providing logistical support to 3 assailants who shot Siddique.
Police also found the image of Zeeshan Siddique on the phone of one of the accused, also shared by Anmol Bishnoi through Snapchat. They also conducted a recee of Zeeshan's office before taking down Baba Siddique.
A member of the ill-famed Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed that they targeted Baba Siddique due to his close relationship with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and alleged links to fugitive Dawood Ibrahim.
The post also mentioned Anuj Thapan, an accused in the firing incident outside Salman Khan's house. Thapan later died by suicide in police custody.
The post read: "Salman Khan, we did not want this war but you made our brother lose his life. Today the pool of decency of Baba Siddique is closed or at one time he was under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) with Dawood. The reason for his death was his links to Dawood and Anuj Thapan in Bollywood, politics, and property dealings."
Meanwhile, 10 accused, including two shooters and a weapon supplier, have been arrested in this case so far. Shooter Shivkumar Gautam and several others named by the police are absconding.
Mumbai Police previously said that the three shooters learnt using firearms by watching YouTube tutorials when living in a rented accommodation in Kurla. Shooters involved in Baba Siddique's murder engaged in around 5 practice sessions before executing the attack.