Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Claims Responsibility, Baba Siddique Murder

Lawrence Bishnoi gang claims the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. The NCP leader, 66 years old, was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Mumbai's Bandra East last night.

The police said it was a three-shooter murder case. Of the three, two have been arrested: Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, a resident of Haryana, and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, an Uttar Pradesh native. The third shooter has been identified as Shiv Kumar Gautam, also from UP. Another person, whom they suspected to be the handler, is also on the run.

The attack happened at around 9:30 pm when assailants open fire, shooting several rounds of bullets that hit him in the chest and killed him. Nearly three hours after the murder, the notorious Bishnoi gang took responsibility for the killing through one social media post. There is mounting scrutiny from central agencies of the post, said to be on a Facebook account that appears to belong to Shubuu Lonkar, who is apparently Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar-an associate of the Bishnoi gang:.

The arrest this year of Shubham Lonkar in Maharashtra's Akola on charges of carrying illegal weapons made the investigators believe that the said youngster had close connections with the Bishnoi network. Police interrogation led the youngster to confess about his video calls with Anmol Bishnoi-the close brother of Lawrence-which has further linked him to the notorious gang leader.

The murder interrogation of Mr Siddiqui has revealed another fact: Dharamraj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar Gautam, the two shooters, are originally from Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich. The two are neighbours and used to labour in Pune, sources claimed. They were cheated into the criminal world, said some. "Dharamraj is arrested while Shiv Kumar is still on the run," confirmed Bahraich SP Vrinda Shukla. Neither of them had any criminal record in their hometown. However, the persons concerned had allegedly nurtured a desire to go down in the annals of crime and gain notoriety by being associated with the Bishnoi gang-a connection they are said to have formed while under judicial custody in a Punjab jail.

Police said the suspects have been tracking Mr Siddique for months and collecting information about his residence and office. They had accepted a paid order of ₹ 50,000 each and arms delivery had been made a few days before the murder, the police added.

Two of the suspects arrested are taken into police custody. Other still remain on the run of the police. Maharashtra Police have increased vigil around Salman Khan's residence - where a shooting incident took place recently.

On the quiet Mumbai suburb of Bandra, two men on motorbikes fired several rounds outside Mr Khan's residence in the dead of night of April 14. The accused are associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and were booked for conspiracy to murder and other serious offenses.

The charge sheet claimed that the Bishnoi gang had issued a contract worth ₹ 25 lakh to kill the actor. In August 2023, the intention to kill was conceived; the execution plan took shape over several months and was finally implemented in April 2024.

Mr Siddique was known to enjoy comradeship across party lines; his killing has shaken the political spectrum. Respectful politicians, including chief ministers, have offered condolences while expressing anguish over the growing violence in Maharashtra.

The president of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge was among the first leaders to react. He termed the murder of Siddique "shocking beyond words". In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Kharge said, "The tragic death of former Maharashtra Minister, Baba Siddique, is shocking beyond words. In this hour of grief, I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra government must order a thorough and transparent investigation. The culprits must be brought to book at the earliest. Accountability is paramount."

Rahul Gandhi too voiced his opinion.

The tragic passing of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult hour. This horrific incident lays bare the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must own up, and justice must be done," Mr Gandhi posted about his erstwhile colleague on X.

The murder has triggered a political slugfest between the BJP and Opposition parties. While the BJP has asked not to politicise the murder, Congress has claimed that there is a "complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra."