Mumbai: In a big improvement within the Baba Siddique homicide case, the Mumbai Police on Saturday apprehended 22-year-old Akashdeep Karajsingh Gill from Fazilka in Punjab, a city positioned simply 11 kilometres from the Pakistan border. Gill is the twenty fourth particular person to be arrested in reference to the high-profile case and is alleged to have offered logistical help to the accused shooters. Authorities have confirmed Gill’s affiliation with the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
*EDS: FILE IMAGE** Mumbai: On this file photograph, Baba Siddique addresses a gathering after becoming a member of NCP (Ajit Pawar), in Mumbai. NCP chief and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique died in hospital after being shot by three males in Mumbai’s Bandra East space on Saturday night time, officers mentioned. (PTI Photograph) (PTI10_12_2024_000464A)(PTI)
The homicide of the 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Get together (NCP) chief occurred on October 12 close to the workplace of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East’s Nirmal Nagar.
Gill, a resident of Pacca Chishti village in Fazilka, was detained via a coordinated effort between the Mumbai Crime Department and Punjab’s Anti-Gangster Job Pressure (AGTF). “Preliminary investigations reveal the arrested accused is an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang and provided logistical assistance to the shooters involved in the murder of Baba Siddique,” mentioned Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav in an announcement posted on X (previously Twitter).
Gill has been delivered to Mumbai on a transit remand and shall be introduced earlier than the Mumbai Vacation Courtroom on Sunday.
Key arrests and breakthroughs
The police achieved a serious breakthrough within the case on November 10, with the arrest of Shivkumar Gautam, the alleged important shooter, from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Gautam, who had been on the run since October 12, was captured whereas making an attempt to flee to Nepal.
Based on police sources, Gautam meticulously deliberate his escape after the capturing, discarding his garments, Aadhaar card, and weapon earlier than returning to the crime scene 20 minutes later to evade suspicion.
Gill’s title surfaced throughout the interrogation of different suspects. “After confirming his location in Punjab, we arrested him with the assistance of local police. His interrogation is expected to provide crucial insights into the gang’s activities and his role in the crime,” mentioned an investigating officer.
Ongoing investigations
Thus far, the Mumbai Police have arrested 24 people, together with Anurag Kashyap, brother of one other alleged shooter, Dharmaraj Kashyap. Kashyap is accused of sheltering Gautam put up the homicide.
The masterminds behind the homicide, Shubham Lonkar and Zeeshan Akhtar, stay absconding. Police sources revealed that a few of the arrested suspects have offered details about Lonkar’s whereabouts.
Anti-Gangster Job Pressure Extra Director Common of Police Promod Ban lauded the collaborative efforts of the Mumbai and Punjab Police. “This arrest highlights the efficient coordination between multiple agencies in tackling organised crime,” he mentioned.
The Mumbai Police proceed to analyze the case, which has uncovered deep connections between native prison networks and interstate gangs.