Baba Siddique Murder Case: Lapses Raise Doubts About Police Investigation Into Killing Of NCP Leader

Mumbai: Several glaring ‘lapses’ in the Baba Siddique murder have raised concerns regarding the police investigation in the sensational case. The Congress-turned-NCP leader was shot on October 12 outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East. While two alleged shooters were caught immediately, their third accomplice managed to give a slip to the cops.

About The Lapses

Several instances point towards the apparent incongruity. Initially, the crime branch reported that Siddique was shot with a 9.9mm pistol. However, two or three days later, a bag was found about 200 metres away from the crime scene, which contained a Turkish-made Tisas pistol. Subsequently, the crime branch claimed that the politician was actually shot with a 7.62mm Turkish-made pistol. Also, the fact that a bag with a pistol was not found during the initial search operation, but was discovered two days later has also raised eyebrows.

Moreover, it came to the fore that Bhagwatsingh Omsingh, the 10th and the latest accused to be arrested, was calmly watching the news on TV after the murder. Omsingh, who had a shop in the BKC area, easily slipped away from police attention and even opened a new scrap shop in Belapur just two days after the killing. Instead of fleeing to his hometown in Udaipur, Omsingh stayed in Navi Mumbai for six days.

Talking to the FPJ, former Director General of Police Pravin Dixit, said that frequent transfers of experienced cops slow down investigation. He said that 'Police Mitra', his initiative to connect with the citizens for speedy probe, has also been discontinued. The custody of the four accused – Gurmail Singh, Dharamraj Kashyap, Pravin Lonkar, and Harishkumar Nishad – has been extended till October 25.

As per the prosecution, the helmet worn by the rider doing recce was found at the Kurla house rented by the accused. Reportedly, Gurmail also revealed that they practiced firing in Karjat. Additionally, it came to the fore that Omsingh and co-accused Ram Kanojia travelled to Rajasthan to procure firearms.