Mon Oct 14 05:01:30 UTC 2024: ## NCP Leader Baba Siddiqui Shot Dead in Mumbai, Conspiracy Unfolds
**Mumbai:** Former Maharashtra Minister and prominent NCP leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead on Saturday night in a brazen attack that has sent shockwaves through the city. The incident occurred during a celebratory event near his office, where three assailants emerged from a nearby vehicle and fired multiple shots at Siddiqui, who succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
The Crime Branch swiftly arrested two suspects, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, in connection with the murder. A third suspect, Shiv Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, is still at large. The police have also arrested Pravin Lonkar, a co-conspirator in Pune, who allegedly recruited the shooters.
Preliminary investigations suggest a meticulously planned conspiracy. The assailants conducted extensive surveillance of Siddiqui’s residence and office, allegedly renting a house in Kurla for weeks to monitor his movements. They were reportedly paid ₹50,000 each for the execution of the crime.
A Facebook post by a gang member, “Shubuu Lonkar Maharashtra,” claimed responsibility for the attack, citing Siddiqui’s close ties to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and alleged connections to underworld figures like Dawood Ibrahim. The post alluded to an ongoing feud between the gang and Salman Khan stemming from the 1998 blackbuck hunting case.
Siddiqui was known for hosting lavish Iftar parties, attracting Bollywood’s biggest stars. His murder is the first high-profile political assassination in Mumbai in nearly three decades, drawing parallels to the killings of BJP MLAs Ramdas Nayak and Premkumar Sharma, and Shiv Sena legislators Vitthal Chavan and Ramesh More in the early 1990s.
Security has been beefed up outside Salman Khan’s residence following the incident. The investigation is ongoing, with the Mumbai Police determined to unravel the full extent of the conspiracy behind this shocking murder.
First Piper 