MUMBAI: The two suspects caught for the murder of former state minister and NCP politician Baba Siddique have told police that they had been instructed to eliminate his Congress MLA son Zeeshan, too, if he was spotted during the crime.
During their preliminary interrogation, the duo, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh, revealed the order was to kill one of the targets.However, if they encountered Siddique and Zeeshan together, they were to target both, a police official said. “This points to a more coordinated and far-reaching plot, with the attack potentially serving as a message to high-profile figures, including actor Salman Khan,” the official added.
Cops examining what prompted Zeeshan to seek security beef-up
Sources said Zeeshan had written to the state intelligence department in Sept expressing fear for his life. As a sitting MLA, Zeeshan already had a police officer for protection. But after his request, Mumbai police forwarded his letter to SID for a security audit, following which SID increased Zeeshan’s security. Police are examining what prompted Zeeshan to seek enhanced security, and whether that deterred the shooters from attacking him as he had left his office just minutes before his father did on the day of the attack.
“Around the second week of Sept, Zeeshan’s security was enhanced from one police guard to Y-plus security, which includes three armed constables providing round-the-clock protection,” a police source confirmed. “We were not in the picture as Zeeshan’s security was increased by SID,” said another policeman.
This past Saturday, Zeeshan informed his father that he was heading out to a nearby eatery with friends. Shortly after, Baba Siddique was preparing to leave his office when the shooters, who had been lying in wait for about half an hour, struck. Siddique was attacked in the presence of a lone cop, Shyam Sonawane. Cops said the arrest of key individuals such as Shubam Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar could shed more light on the motive behind the attack.
Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai police have reviewed the security at Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Waje village, Panvel, following the murder of Siddique, who was close to the actor. Police said security around this house will be increased whenever Khan or his family members visit the place. They are pursuing leads that suggest the murder was a contract killing carried out at the behest of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
(Inputs by Umesh Parida)