Photo of Zeeshan Siddique found on accused’s phone, days after father’s murder

In a significant development in the investigation of NCP leader Baba Siddique’s murder, Mumbai police found a photo of his son, Zeeshan Siddique, on the phone of one of the men who shot his father. The phone was recovered from an accused arrested in connection with the murder case, police sources said.

According to officials, the photo was shared with the accused through Snapchat by their handler, who is allegedly linked to Lawrence Bishnoi’s notorious gang. Investigators revealed that Snapchat was used as the primary communication tool between the shooters and their conspirators. The messages were deleted on the handler's instruction.

Baba Siddique was shot on October 12, near his son’s office in Mumbai's Bandra area. The 66-year-old politician, a Congress-turned-NCP leader, was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead. So far, nine individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, including two of the three shooters. Police have confirmed that three suspects are still on the run.

Among those arrested are Nitin Gautam Sapre, Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi, Pradeep Dattu Thombre, Chetan Dilip Pardhi, and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia. These men allegedly provided the firearms and logistical support for the attack. Police sources disclosed that Kanoujia and Sapre were initially offered the contract to kill Siddique but backed out after demanding ₹ 1 crore to execute the hit. The contract was then passed to Dharmraj Kashyap, Gurnail Singh, and Shivkumar Gautam, who ultimately carried out the crime. Kashyap and Singh were arrested on the day of the murder, while Gautam is still at large.

During the attack, Siddique had only one security guard with him, who failed to react as six rounds were fired at the politician. The constable later claimed that a "chilli-like substance" had entered his eyes, rendering him unable to retaliate. As a result, the security personnel has been suspended. The shooters created a smokescreen by deploying a device near Siddique's vehicle, concealing the noise of the gunshots and confusing onlookers into thinking it was smoke from firecrackers.

The Mumbai Crime Branch is also investigating potential links between the accused and the April shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s residence, a crime for which Lawrence Bishnoi took responsibility. A Facebook post shortly after Baba Siddique’s murder also claimed that the Bishnoi gang was behind the assassination. Pravin Lonkar, a 28-year-old man from Pune, was arrested as a co-conspirator, while his brother, Shubham Lonkar, remains at large.

Bishnoi, who has been in jail since 2015, is accused of leading a transnational crime syndicate. His gang has been connected to several high-profile cases, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. The police continue their investigation into the Bishnoi gang's involvement in Siddique’s assassination, as more arrests are expected.