Two Arrested For Former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique’s Murder

Police have arrested two men for the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique on Saturday.

The arrested duo have been identified as Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh, who is 23 years old, and Uttar Pradesh resident Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, who is 19 years old.

A search for the third accused is underway and the investigation is being conducted from all possible angles. The case is being investigated by the Mumbai’s Crime Branch.

According to reports, Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai's Bandra West area on Saturday, between 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

He was leaving his son Zeeshan's office and heading toward his residence in Bandra West, when three individuals opened gunfire at him.

Siddique, who was member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, was immediately rushed to the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West for treatment but was declared dead by the doctors.

A case has been registered at the Nirmal Nagar Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with those of the Arms Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

Police is investigation the case from different angles, including a possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project, officials said on Sunday. The case has been handed over to the crime branch for further probe.

Baba Siddique had represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the assembly. A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known to be close to several Bollywood stars.

A Congressman since his student days, Siddique quit the grand old party to join Ajit Pawar's NCP in February this year. The former minister had a Y-category security.

In the early 90s, Ramdas Nayak and Premkumar Sharma, then sitting BJP MLAs from Bandra and Khetwadi, respectively, were shot dead.

Shiv Sena legislators Vitthal Chavan and Ramesh More were also gunned down in Mumbai in the 90s.