Baba Siddique murder case: Third arrest made, co-conspirator held in Pune; top points

Baba Siddique murder case: The Mumbai Police has made its third arrest in connection with the murder case of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. Siddique was waylaid by three persons at Kher Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra, outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office, and was shot at. He was then rushed to Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead. 

Siddique was often in the news for his grand iftar parties that were attended by the who’s who of Bollywood. He was known to be close to several Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sanjay Dutt. 

Here’s a lowdown of the latest in the Baba Siddique murder case: 

• A 28-year-old man from Pune, who along with his brother had enlisted two of the three alleged shooters, have been arrested by the Mumbai police. The police have called Pravin Lonkar, a “co-conspirator”, and his brother Shubham Lonkar is absconding. 
• Pravin and Shubham Lonkar had enlisted two alleged shooters, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam. Gautam is on the run. Kashyap has been arrested, with one Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), who is believed to be another shooter. Singh has been remanded in police custody till October 21. 
• When the police did not find Shubham Lonkar, they arrested his brother Pravin. 
• Meanwhile, the police had ordered a bone ossification test on Kashyap, which showed that he is not a minor. He has been sent to police custody till October 21.
• Two pistols and 28 live bullets have been recovered from the two apprehended shooters. 
• 15 teams have been spread across Maharashtra to find out who provided logistical support to the shooters. 
• Moreover, the police have come across a post on social media where an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for Baba Siddique's murder. "We have seen the viral social media post, we are verifying its authenticity," the official said. Some Bishnoi gang members had been held in connection with the firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai in April this year.