Scrap workers, criminal background: All about Baba Siddique murder accused

The Mumbai Police has arrested three people in connection with the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot outside his office on Saturday. Three other accused have been identified by the police and are absconding.
On Saturday evening, Baba Siddique was killed by three men who came out of a vehicle and, under the cover of the noise of bursting firecrackers, opened fire at the NCP leader. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Two attackers, identified as Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, 19, and Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, were caught on the spot and later arrested. The police also arrested another man named Pravin Lonkar, 28, whose brother Shubham made a social media post claiming responsibility for the murder on behalf of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
As per initial investigation, the third shooter present with Kashyap and Singh was Shiv Kumar alias Shiva Gautam, 24, who is on the run. The police have also identified another accused, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, 21, who is allegedly the brain behind the murder.
Here’s everything we know about the accused so far:
On Saturday evening, Dharmaraj, Shiv, and Gurmail reached outside Baba Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra area. Baba Siddique was firing crackers near the office when he was shot.
According to Mumbai Police, the accused had brought pepper spray and planned to use it on Baba Siddique before firing at him. However, Shiv started firing directly at him.
While Baba Siddique’s security men managed to catch Dharmaraj and Guramil, Shiv managed to flee.
Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shiv Kumar are both natives of Uttar Pradesh. Gurmail is a native of Haryana, while Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar is from Jalandhar in Punjab.
According to the police, Gurmail has a criminal history. He was arrested in a murder case in 2019 but was later released on bail.
His family said that they had disowned him 11 years ago. “His parents have died. He is nothing to us now,” Gurmail’s grandmother told reporters. She said Gurmail came out of jail on bail three months ago but did not stay at home.
Shiv Kumar and Dharmaraj, residents of Uttar Pradesh, did not have a criminal history. According to Shiv Kumar’s mother, he had gone to Pune to work at a scrap shop and had last visited the village during Holi.
According to Kaiserganj Circle Officer Anil Kumar Singh, Shiv Kumar had gone to Maharashtra a few years ago to work as a labourer and had invited Dharmaraj to join him.

Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar.

Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, a resident of Jalandhar, was lodged in Patiala jail. Seven cases are registered against him.
In the prison, he got in touch with the henchmen of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who allegedly gave him the contract to kill Baba Siddique, sources said.
Akhtar came out of jail on June 7 this year, following which he went to meet Gurmail in Haryana’s Kaithal, sources said. He then arranged a room in Mumbai for Shiv, Dharmaraj and Gurmail.
According to sources, Akhtar was also in Mumbai and was giving directions to the three attackers after they killed Baba Siddique. His last location was traced to Mumbai and police are on his lookout.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddique, allegedly for his close ties with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The actor has faced several threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in the past, who accuse him of killing a blackbuck, a sacred animal to the Bishnoi community.

Shubham Lonkar and Pravin Lonkar.

A man named Shubham Lonkar from Pune made a social media post on Sunday, claiming responsibility for the murder on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Shubham and his brother Pravin, 28, allegedly hired Shiv Kumar and Dharmaraj Kashyap to kill Baba Siddique. Pravin runs a dairy near the scrap shop where Shiv and Dharmaraj worked.
On Sunday evening, the police arrested Pravin and are looking for his brother.
However, the police have not confirmed the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in the murder so far and are investigating the claims.