Mumbai: The shooters who gunned down NCP leader Baba Siddique had learnt to use firearms by watching videos on YouTube at a rented house in Kurla area of Maharashtra. The former minister was waylaid by three persons in Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar area, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office, and shot on the night of October 12.Two of the three shooters were arrested by the Mumbai Police and later two more accused in the case were nabbed. So far, four arrests have been made as cops try to find the mastermind behind the murder. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the killing, citing Siddique's proximity with Salman Khan.The Mumbai police's crime branch during the interrogation of the accused persons found that suspected shooter Shivkumar Gautam, who is on the run, had learnt to handle guns during the celebratory firings at weddings in Uttar Pradesh, an official told PTI.“Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap learned to shoot by watching videos on YouTube and often practised (without a magazine) in Mumbai,” police earlier said.During the interrogation of the arrested accused - Gurmail Singh and Dharmaraj Kashyap - it also came to light that Gautam was hired as the "main shooter", as he had the knowledge of handling firearms.Kashyap and Singh were trained in shooting by Gautam at a rented house in Kurla, where they did "dry practice" (shooting without bullets). They learnt loading and unloading the weapon by watching YouTube videos for nearly four weeks, as they could not find an open space for practice.
Shooters Communicated Via SnapchatOne of the alleged co-conspirators, Shubham Lonkar, was on police radar till September 24, after he was questioned in June in connection with an incident of firing outside actor Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai in April as the involvement of Lawrence Bishnoi gang was suspected.Shubham Lonkar had been arrested in January in an Arms Act case registered at Akot police station in Maharashtra's Akola district but he later got bail. Police had recovered more than ten firearms in that case. Shubham had been found to be in communication with Lawrence Bishnoi's brother Anmol.During the investigation, it also came to light that the accused persons used to communicate with each other by using social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram. Shubham Lonkar has a knowledge of mobile phone apps and had asked all the members involved in the conspiracy (to kill Siddique) to speak via Instagram and chat through Snapchat to avoid surveillance. Snapchat has a feature which automatically deletes most messages after they've been viewed or expired, an official told PTI. Mumbai Police on Tuesday revealed that the assassination plan was hatched about three months back in Pune, and the arrested shooters were paid hefty money for it.Mumbai police statement said, “The conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique had started three months ago. The accused had gone to Baba Siddique's house several times without weapons. According to the information, the entire planning of Baba Siddique's murder was done in Pune.”The Mumbai police statement further read, “To identify Baba Siddique, the accused was given Baba Siddique's photo and banner photo and was told that this was the target. The house and office were also recced 25 days before the incident.” Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Behind Baba Siddique Murder?A Facebook account named Shubbu Lonkar Maharashtra claimed responsibility for the murder, accusing actor Salman Khan of starting a "war". Notably, Siddique enjoyed close ties with Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who has been on the hit list of the Bishnoi gang since 1999. The politician has been pushing for enhanced security for Salman Khan ever since the actor began receiving threats.The post in Hindi read, "Salman Khan, we never wanted this war, but you caused harm to our brother. Today, whether it's under the respect of Baba Siddique's protection or an act with Dawood during that time, the purpose was to link Anuj Thapan and Dawood with Bollywood, politics, and property dealings upon his death. We have no enmity with anyone, but whoever helps Salman Khan and Dawood's gang will have to keep their accounts clear. If any harm comes to our brother, we will surely respond, though we never attacked first. Jai Shri Ram, Jai Bharat. Salute to the martyrs. #LawrenceBishnoiGroup #AnmolBishnoi #AnkitBhaduSherewala"You may also like
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