How a gang of scrap dealers executed Baba Siddique murder

(From left) Shivkumar Gautam, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh, the trio involved in shooting

The investigation into the murder of Baba Siddique is rapidly unfolding, revealing a complex web of conspirators and suspects. So far, 14 individuals have been arrested, with the Mumbai Crime Branch uncovering that a group of five scrap dealers played a crucial role in the crime, assisted by accomplices still on the run. Most of these dealers hail from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, and were working under Harish Nishad, a Pune-based scrap dealer with ties to key suspects in the case.

Nishad runs a scrap shop and is connected with key suspect Shubham Lonkar and his brother Pravin, who has already been arrested. The accused - Harish Nishad, Dharmaraj Kashyap, and Shivkumar Gautam (the main shooter who is still on the run), along with Ram Kanojiya and Kaluram Singh - were all involved in the scrap business. Jisan Akhtar, also accused, is believed to link the Lonkar brothers with the other 14 people arrested. "Prima facie evidence suggests that all the arrested individuals are foot soldiers involved in arms supply," the police said.

Jishan Akhtar absconding, Pravin Lonkar, Shubham Lonkar absconding and Harish Nishad

Police say 14 people and three still on the run were involved in the Baba Siddique murder case. Two groups were formed: one led by Nitin Sapre and Ram Kanojiya, and the other by Jisan Akhtar and Shubham Lonkar. "Kanojiya's group pulled out due to money disputes," an officer explained. They knew Siddique was a powerful ex-minister.

Kanojiya, aware of Siddique's influence, initially hesitated to go through with the hit, asking for R1 crore. Unable to meet that demand, the Lonkar brothers and Akhtar turned to scrap dealers, offering them just a few lakhs instead. Investigators believe the dealers received around Rs 4-5 lakh for logistics, with more promised if they succeeded in killing Siddique.

The plot to kill Siddique began in June with a group that included Nitin Sapre, 32, Sambhaji Parbi, 44, Ram Kanojiya, 43, Pradeep Tomber, 37, and Chetan Pardhi, 33. Parbi, Tomber, and Pardhi lived in Ambernath, while Sapre was from Dombivli, and Kanojiya hailed from Panvel. Three more suspects - Rupesh Mohol, 22, Karan Salve, 19, and Shivam Kohad, 20 - were arrested on October 23 and are residents of Pune.

Initially, Ram Kanojiya and Nitin Sapre were set to be the shooters. "On July 7, Ram travelled to Udaipur to pick up a firearm, returning to Mumbai on July 11. He and some others even scouted Siddique's office and home but decided to back out," police said.

The arrested trio - Mohol, Salve, and Kohad - were linked to Pravin Lonkar. "Rupesh Mohol was influenced by a local gangster, Sharad Mahol, who has a criminal record. All the suspects lived close to the Lonkar brothers," an officer shared. When the first group pulled out, others - including Jisan Akhtar, Shivkumar Gautam, Gurmail Singh, Harish Nishad, Amit Kumar, Bhagwat Singh, Shubham Lonkar, and Pravin Lonkar - went ahead with the murder plot. The others arrested only knew about the conspiracy.