Baba Siddiques '2+1' Security Team To Be Questioned By Crime Branch

A week after former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique's murder, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police will record statements of his security personnel again, as part of the investigation. Baba Siddique had ‘2+1' security which means, two security guards during the day and one at night. Last week, on October 12, Mr Siddique was shot dead outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East.

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When Mr Siddique went to Bandra East, he had two security guards tagging along. But before he left his son's office, around 8:30 pm, one of the two security guards had left the location. This means, Mr Siddique had only one security guard with him who did not retaliate at the time of shooting, sources said.

Mr Siddique, 66, was killed around 9:30 pm, under the cover of a Dussehra procession and fireworks.

A reconstruction of the assassination explains that the three shooters and a co-conspirator had stationed themselves close to Mr Siddique's waiting car. As he came out of the office and tried to get inside the car, the killers let off some device that covered the area in thick smoke. Many thought it was the smoke from the firecrackers, which also masked the noise of gunshots.

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All three shooters were carrying chili powder with them. As soon as bullets were fired, they threw chili powder at the police constable.

The third security guard, who was with the late Mr Siddique, claimed that something like chili went into his eyes. Therefore, he couldn't do anything at the moment, sources revealed.

Mumbai Police will now record the statement of the three security guards again in detail.

The three shooters fired six rounds, hitting Mr Siddique on the chest and stomach. One of his aides also sustained gunshot wounds.

The three killers involved are Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, a resident of Haryana, and 19-year-old Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shiv Kumar Gautam, also known as Shiva, both from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. While Gurmail and Dharmaraj have been arrested, the third shooter is on the run.

Mumbai Police's crime branch has also arrested 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar, a "co-conspirator" in the case, from Pune and Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, 23, from Uttar Pradesh.

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