Mumbai: After 85 days of intense investigation, the Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday submitted a comprehensive 4,590-page chargesheet in the Baba Siddique murder case to the special MCOCA court. The chargesheet names 26 arrested accused and three absconding suspects – Shubham Lonkar, Zeeshan Akhtar and Anmol Bishnoi.
According to the chargesheet, a contract of Rs17 lakh was paid to execute Siddique’s murder, with the amount transferred from multiple bank accounts into those of the accused.
The investigation identifies Anmol Bishnoi as the mastermind who ordered the hit. The chargesheet highlights three primary motives behind the assassination are Siddique’s close ties with Bollywood star Salman Khan and underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim; the suspected involvement of Siddique in the killing of Anuj Thapan, accused in the Salman Khan firing case; Bishnoi gang’s ambition to establish supremacy in Mumbai’s underworld and to create terror in film industry and builder lobby also.
The chargesheet further reveals that the plot to kill Siddique began immediately after the firing incident at Salman Khan’s residence on April 14, 2024. Initially, the gang planned to assassinate Salman Khan, but due to his tight security, the target was shifted to Siddique.
Failed attempts: The gang had previously attempted to kill Siddique during Ganpati visarjan. However, the dense crowd prevented the shooters from succeeding.
Second target - Zeeshan: The chargesheet also reveals that the gang had also planned to kill Siddique’s son Zeeshan Siddique. However, Zeeshan was not present at the time of the attack.
Evidence, witnesses: The chargesheet includes statements from 180 witnesses. Additionally, it details the seizure of five weapons, six magazines, 84 rounds of ammunition, 35 mobile phones, two motorcycles.
With the formal charges now filed, the case will proceed to trial, where the prosecution will seek to establish the accused's involvement in one of the most high-profile political assassinations in recent memory.
