'Shooting, shooting...': Video shows moments after Baba Siddique was killed
Former Maharashtra minister, Baba Siddique, was shot dead outside his son's office in Mumbai on Saturday. The assailants fired six bullets at Siddique, critically injuring the Nationalist Congress Party leader who later succumbed to his injuries at Lilavati Hospital. A bystander named Raj Kanojia, who was at a nearby temple and is not related to Siddique, was also injured during the shooting incident. The chilling moments following the attack were captured in a newly released video.
Video reveals aftermath of Siddique's shooting
The video footage shows Kanojia lying on the ground with injuries on his left leg, a piece of cloth tied around it to stem the bleeding. Amidst the chaos, a voice can be heard exclaiming "Shooting happened...shooting," as police officers work to disperse the gathering crowd. At the time of this tragic incident, Siddique was accompanied by one police officer from his allotted security detail.
Shooters identified, 2 arrested in Siddique's murder
The shooters, identified as Gurmel Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam from Uttar Pradesh, confessed to police they were contracted to kill both Baba Siddique and a man named Zeeshan. The trio had planned to execute the attack during a Dussehra procession under the cover of fireworks. However, upon seeing the crowd and security around Siddique, Gautam decided he would be the one to fire first.
Shooters employed distraction tactics, fled scene
Armed with chili powder and pepper spray, the shooters created a diversion post the attack. After Gautam fired six bullets at Siddique, they threw chili powder at the accompanying police constable. While Gautam managed to escape by blending into the crowd, Singh and Kashyap were apprehended. Police recovered two pistols and 28 live rounds from the arrested suspects.
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang suspected in Siddique's murder
During interrogation, the arrested shooters said they worked for notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Gujarat's Sabarmati jail. They painted themselves as innocent and said only Gautam knew the mastermind behind the killing. Bishnoi had earlier been accused of shooting outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence, who was a close friend of Siddique.
Suspects monitored Siddique prior to assassination
According to reports, the suspects had been watching Siddique for months, doing a recce of his house and office. They were given an advance of ₹50,000 each for the hit and the weapons used in the assassination were handed over to them days before the attack. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised that the third suspect in this case will be arrested "soon."
