Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, a resident of Jalandhar in Punjab is one of six people accused in the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique.
He was arrested two years ago in the state, where he met members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Patiala jail and after his release, he moved to Mumbai.
Akhtar helped coordinate the shooters in Baba Siddique’s murder, providing them with details about his location and assisting with their accommodation arrangements.
Siddique, a leader of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, was shot dead after being ambushed by three shooters at Kher Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra area, just outside the office of his MLA son, Zeeshan Siddique.
The attack was carried out on a busy road during the Dussehra celebrations on the day when the police were on high alert. Siddique was immediately rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Mumbai Police.
Akhtar hails from Shakar village in Nakodar of Jalandhar. In 2022, he was arrested for organised crime such as murder, robbery, and was sent to Patiala jail, where he connected with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and received orders to assassinate Siddique.
After being released from jail on June 7, Akhtar traveled to Kaithal to meet Gurmel. The shooters then proceeded to Mumbai, where they established a base.
Following the shooting, Akhtar went into hiding, and sources have revealed he is still hiding in Mumbai. Multiple teams have been deployed to track him down.
“Two accused were taken into custody on the spot and two pistols and 28 rounds were recovered from them. We have the custody of the accused till October 21. We are investigating the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s role in the case,” DCP Crime Branch Datta Nalawade said.
The arrested shooters have been identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) from Haryana and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19) from Uttar Pradesh, while the third accused Pravin Lonkar (29) has been arrested from Pune.