Baba Siddique murder case: Head constable giving security to former Bandra MLA suspended

Shyam Sonawane, the head constable responsible for the security of former Maharashtra MLA Baba Siddique, has been suspended by the Mumbai police due to negligence.

Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12 outside his son Zeeshan's office in Bandra. Zeeshan had previously voiced his disappointment that no action had been taken against Sonawane.

Siddique was assigned 2+1 security, meaning he had two security personnel during the day and one at night. One of the two guards left at 8:30 PM, leaving only Sonawane present when the shooting occurred.

Zeeshan had also requested the police to investigate Sonawane's actions, leading to a detailed statement being recorded by the Crime Branch.

In his statement, Sonawane mentioned that the accused ignited a smoke firecracker, which caused his vision to become blurred and prevented him from taking action.

The Mumbai police investigating Baba Siddique's murder have discovered that the five newly arrested suspects initially demanded Rs 50 lakh for the killing but later backed out due to disagreements over payment and concerns about Siddique's influence.

However, they did provide logistical and other support to those involved in the shooting. On Friday, the crime branch arrested these five suspects for allegedly supplying firearms and logistical aid to the shooters, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to nine.

Three key suspects are currently on the run. They have been identified as Nitin Gautam Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi, and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia (43). Sapre is from Dombivli, while the other three, Pardhi, Thombre, and Chetan Pardhi (27), are from Ambernath in Thane district. Kanoujia lives in Panvel, Raigad, according to the police.