Baba Siddique shot dead: Gunmen had demanded Rs 50 lakhs from Lawrence Bishnoi gang
Nitin Gautam Sapre and four of his associates, Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi, Pradeep Dattu Thombre, Chetan Dilip Pardhi, and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia had demanded Rs 50 lakhs from the mediator to kill NCP leader Baba Siddique.
The Mumbai police have revealed that a different set of gunmen were initially tasked by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to kill NCP leader Baba Siddique. According to the police, the gunmen had sought Rs 50 lakhs to carry out the murder due to the target's high profile.
Police said the gang, led by one Nitin Gautam Sapre, backed out of the deal due to a disagreement over payment.
CREDIT: ANI
Five more arrested in Baba Siddique murder
Police have arrested Sapre and four of his associates, Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi, Pradeep Dattu Thombre, Chetan Dilip Pardhi, and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia, for providing logistical and other support to those involved in the shooting of Siddique.
"During their interrogation, the police found that the module led by Sapre had demanded Rs 50 lakhs from the mediator to kill NCP leader Baba Siddique. But that did not work out. So, due to the disagreement over the contract, they decided to back out," an official said.
Gang knew Siddique was a big name
According to the police, Sapre, who hails from Dombivli, was aware that since Siddique was a high-profile politician, killing him would create a huge problem for his module. Hence, they decided not to go ahead.
CREDIT: BCCL
Was in touch with gunmen who shot Siddique
"But the accused persons decided to give logistical support to the new shooters and provide other help," the official said.
The investigators have found that the module led by Sapre was in contact with conspirator Shubham Lonkar and mastermind Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar until the firing.
The police are now investigating whether Shubham and Akhtar brought the proposal of the NCP leader's killing to them through the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
CREDIT: AP
Three accused still on the run
Earlier, four people, including the two gunmen Gurmail Baljit Singh and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, the person who hired them, Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, and another person named Pravin Lonkar, were arrested.
At least three others, including Pravin's brother Shubham Lonkar, the main shooter Shivkumar Gautam, and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar, who were directly involved in the murder, are on the run.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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