Mumbai police have arrested a 28-year-old man, Pravin Lonkar, from Pune for his involvement in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. Lonkar is accused of "enlisting" two of the alleged shooters in the case along with his brother, Shubham Lonkar, who remains at large. This marks the third arrest in the high-profile case. Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader, was shot dead by three assailants near his son’s office in Bandra, Mumbai, on Saturday night. Despite being rushed to Lilavati Hospital, Siddique was declared dead on arrival.
The Lonkar brothers are believed to have recruited Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and Shivkumar Gautam, another shooter who is still on the run. Mumbai police have already apprehended Kashyap and another alleged shooter, Gurmail Baljit Singh, from Haryana. Pravin Lonkar was arrested after police failed to locate his brother in Pune. Kashyap initially claimed to be a minor, prompting the police to request a bone ossification test, which later confirmed that he was an adult. Both Kashyap and Singh have been remanded in police custody until October 21, with police recovering two pistols and 28 live bullets from the shooters.
The investigation into Siddique’s murder continues, with 15 police teams working to track down other suspects and identify those who provided logistical support to the killers. The police are also probing whether the crime was a contract killing linked to political or business rivalries, including a potential dispute over a slum rehabilitation project.
Siddique, a prominent political figure who had recently joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP, was buried on Sunday night with state honours in a heavily attended funeral. Known for his close connections with Bollywood stars and his charitable work during the COVID-19 pandemic, his death has sent shockwaves through Mumbai’s political and social circles.