A week after the shocking murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police is set to re-record the statements of his security personnel as part of the ongoing investigation.
Siddique, who had a ‘2+1’ security detail—two guards during the day and one at night—was gunned down on October 12 outside the Bandra East office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique.
On the day of the murder, Baba Siddique was accompanied by two security guards when he arrived at his son’s office. However, by the time he left around 8:30 PM, one of the guards had departed, leaving him with only one security officer. Sources reveal that during the shooting, this remaining security guard did not retaliate.
Siddique, 66, was killed at approximately 9:30 PM, under the cover of a Dussehra procession and fireworks. The assassination was carried out in a highly calculated manner, with the killers blending into the festive atmosphere.
A reconstruction of the murder suggests that three shooters, along with a co-conspirator, had strategically positioned themselves near Siddique’s waiting car. As he attempted to enter the vehicle, the assassins deployed a device that filled the area with thick smoke, making it appear as if the smoke was coming from the firecrackers being used for Dussehra celebrations. The noise of the fireworks also masked the sound of the gunshots, confusing those nearby.
In a further twist, the assailants were carrying chili powder. After firing the shots, they threw the chili powder at the police constable present, incapacitating him momentarily. The lone security guard with Siddique at the time later claimed that chili powder had gotten into his eyes, preventing him from reacting during the critical moments.
The police have now decided to interrogate Siddique’s three security personnel again to clarify the sequence of events and any potential lapses.
According to the police, the shooters fired six rounds, hitting Baba Siddique in the chest and abdomen. One of his aides was also wounded during the attack.
The investigation has identified the three shooters as Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana, and Dharmaraj Kashyap, 19, and Shiv Kumar Gautam, also known as Shiva, both from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Gurmail and Dharmaraj have been arrested, while Shiva remains at large, and the search for him continues.
The police are intensifying their probe to unravel the full details of the assassination, with the re-examination of the security personnel expected to shed further light on the security breaches that led to Siddique’s murder.
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