Baba Siddique murder case: Shooters held target practice before attack, says police

Three gunmen involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai practiced shooting near a waterfall in Raigad district , according to police officials on Tuesday. The city police's crime branch , investigating the October 12 murder, reported that interrogations revealed shooters Dharmaraj Kashyap, Gurmail Singh, who are both arrested, and Shivkumar Gautam, who is absconding, practiced firing near a waterfall in Palasdhari under Karjat tehsil, in September.

The shooters found a secluded spot near the waterfall to practice firing for a day. Initially, a five-member contract killing module from Thane, led by Nitin Sapre and Ram Kanoujia, was hired to carry out the hit on the former Maharashtra minister. The pistols used in the crime were sourced from Rajasthan by Kanoujia and another accused, Bhagwat Singh Om Singh. However, the module withdrew from the contract due to a disagreement over the demanded sum of Rs 50 lakh and the late politician's influence, but agreed to provide logistical support and assistance in executing the crime.

Gautam and Kashyap, both from Uttar Pradesh, stayed in the Karjat area in mid-August, supported by the module. Sapre and Kanoujia had direct contact with two other wanted accused, Shubham Lonkar and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar. Given their knowledge of Karjat's topography, the shooters chose the waterfall area for practice.

So far, the crime branch has arrested ten people in connection with Siddique's murder in Bandra, Mumbai. Police are searching for Gautam, Lonkar, and Akhtar, and have issued a look-out circular to prevent them from leaving the country.

Investigators are exploring different motives, including contract killing, business rivalry, or threats related to a slum rehabilitation project in Mumbai.