Baba Siddique murder case: ‘Bishnoi gang used patriotism bait to recruit shooters’

Anmol Bishnoi. File Pic/NIA

The confessional statements of NCP leader Baba Siddique's shooters claim that Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had spoken to them over the phone to enlist their help in killing the politician. Invoking patriotism, Anmol claimed that Siddique was associated with Dawood Ibrahim and involved in bomb blasts.

Anmol also promised a payment of Rs 10 lakh-Rs 15 lakh upon completing the job. The planning for the attack reportedly began in June 2024. These revelations come from the confessional statements of the three shooters - Shivkumar Gautam, Dharamraj Kashyap and Gurmel Singh. In his statement, Gautam detailed the events of the shooting day.

"On the evening of October 12, 2024, Kashyap, Singh and I left our rented house in Kurla with weapons in our bags. Kashyap also carried a spray to use during the attack. We took an autorickshaw to Kherwadi junction in Bandra and walked some distance to Siddique's son Zeeshan's office. We waited outside, hoping to catch either Siddique or Zeeshan. We soon learned that both had already arrived at the office," the statement read.

Shivkumar Gautam (in hood) who is accused of killing Baba Siddique. File pic/Ashish Raje

"Since it was Dussehra, the roads were crowded with people, and firecrackers were being lit. After some time, Zeeshan left in his car. Around 9 pm, Siddique came out of the office and started walking toward his car. Seeing the opportunity, Dharamraj, Gurmel, and I approached him. Kashyap and I fired at Siddique using our pistols. As per the plan, Kashyap used the spray he had brought. Siddique was injured and fell to the ground.

After the attack, we fled with our weapons and bag. I ran a short distance, jumped over a compound wall and hid near a vehicle parked on the opposite side. There, I changed my shirt, placed it along with the weapon in the bag and threw the bag under the vehicle. From there, I called Anmol and Shubham Lonkar [a wanted accused] via Snapchat and informed them that the task was completed. Anmol instructed me to switch off my phone and dispose of it," the statement read.

Ajinkya Mirgal, lawyer of accused

"Following his instructions, I switched off my phone, walked a little further, and took an autorickshaw to Kurla railway station. From there, I boarded a local train to Thane. Near Thane station, I threw my phone into a pond while descending from the station bridge. I then returned to Thane station and caught a train to Pune. The next day, I boarded another train to Lucknow. From Lucknow station, I took a bus to Bahraich, where I contacted my friends Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akhilendra Singh, Akash Srivastava and Anurag K Yap, who helped me hide and evade arrest. After a few days, I suspected that the police might be closing in on me, so I started preparing to escape to Nepal. However, the Mumbai Police arrested me."

Lucrative offer

According to the charge sheet filed by the Crime Branch, Gautam, the main shooter, revealed in his confessional statement that in June 2024, Shubham approached him and Kashyap with an offer. Shubham allegedly told them that they could earn R10 lakh to R15 lakh if they agreed to carry out a task. When Gautam inquired about the work, Shubham informed them that the job was to kill Siddique or Zeeshan but refrained from sharing details.

In his confessional statement, Gautam further revealed that one day, Shubham made a video call to Anmol using Snapchat and introduced him and Kashyap to Anmol. During the call, Anmol greeted them, saying, "Ram Ram Bhai, how are you? Are you scared?" He then motivated them by claiming that the targets - Siddique and his son - were associated with Dawood Ibrahim and involved in bomb blasts. Anmol assured them that if they needed money, they could ask Shubham, who would make arrangements. This convinced Gautam and Kashyap that Shubham and his brother Pravin, were working for the Bishnoi gang.

Gautam also disclosed that during their nighttime visits to Shubham and Pravin Lonkar's dairy, he discovered that the former regularly spoke to Anmol via Snapchat. autam overheard several conversations between the Lonkar brothers and Anmol on speakerphone. During one such discussion, Anmol inquired about Rupesh Mohol and his friends, who lived in Pune and frequently visited the dairy.

Direct communication

Later, Shubham asked Gautam to download the Snapchat app on his phone to communicate directly with Anmol. Gautam created two Snapchat IDs. He primarily used an ID named "Sunny Sunny" to contact Anmol. Initially, a man named Sumit would answer the calls, and after a while, Anmol would join the conversation to discuss their assignments. Gautam added that they also used another Snapchat ID, "Amit Pandit 712," for communication. Sometimes, he, Shubham and Anmol would have group calls on Snapchat to discuss the plans.

Gautam further stated that Shubham informed him and Kashyap that the weapons would be arranged by Babbu Singh, a Bishnoi gang associate based in Mumbai. He also mentioned that after the murder, further arrangements were to be made by Shubham.

Gautam revealed that he and Kashyap, acting on the instructions of Anmol and Shubham, had decided to travel to Mumbai to murder Baba Siddiqui or his son. Following Shubham's request, Gautam and Kashyap came to Mumbai in August 2024 to rent a room. After extensive searching, they found a room in a chawl near Phoenix Mall in Kurla with the help of an agent. They then returned to Pune.

A few days later, Gautam and Kashyap moved into the rented house in Kurla. On September 4, Anmol contacted Gautam and informed him that someone would meet him to deliver the weapon. The individual met Gautam at Andheri station.

‘Will seek bail'

"All the accused's confessional statements have already been retracted, and applications regarding the same have been submitted to the court," said Advocate Ajinkya Mirgal, who is representing several of the 26 accused arrested.

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No. of individuals named in Crime Branch's charge sheet