The viral post alleged the murder was owing to Baba Siddique's link with actor Salman Khan, who the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has a longstanding feud with. “We are verifying the authenticity and context of the viral social media post,” said top sources in the Mumbai Police. Meanwhile, Khan's security has been boosted, with CRPF outside his house and policemen on the road leading to his residence
Was Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique’s shootout the work of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi?
While an unverified post claiming the responsibility over Siddique’s links with actor Salman Khan has gone viral, police said they are verifying the claim. DCP Crime Branch Datta Nalawade said, “We are investigating the authenticity of the said post on social media claiming the responsibility of the incident…Two accused have been arrested on the spot. The investigation is being done from every angle. Two pistols and 28 rounds have been recovered from the accused. An investigation is also being done from Bishnoi angle.”
Siddique, 66, was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office and shot at on Saturday night. The former Maharashtra minister was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. “The pistol used for shooting Siddique was sent to accused via a courier. It was a prepaid order,” said sources. “The earlier plan was to attack Siddique during Ganeshotsav, but they couldn’t execute it. Earlier as well, the accused had tried to attack Siddique multiple times. The Mumbai Police in touch with their counterparts in UP, Delhi and Haryana to help them with the case,” they added.
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Sources added: “Six bullet shells were recovered from the crime spot. While three bullets hit Siddique, one hit a person standing behind.” Two people have been arrested in connection with his killing. The two accused – Karnail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh – claimed during interrogation that they belonged to the Bishnoi gang, a notorious gangster currently in jail, crime branch sources said.
In the wake of the post, Khan’s security has been boosted three times. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been deployed outside the actor’s house, while policemen have been deployed in every corner of the road leading to his residence.
#BreakingNews | Baba Siddique’s Body Taken Home After Post Mortem At Cooper Hospital Juhu, Burial Likely After 7 PM @kotakyesha with details@SakshiLitoriya_ | #BabaSiddiqueShotDead#BabaSiddiquiDeathpic.twitter.com/yejKxXyQkN— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 13, 2024
BISHNOI’s CLAIM TO FAME
Actor Salman Khan was accused of hunting and killing two blackbucks in Rajasthan during the shoot of his film – Hum Saath Saath Hai – in 1998. He was sentenced to five years in jail but was later granted bail. Blackbucks are considered holy by the Bishnoi community, to which Bishnoi belongs.
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In his interview from Tihar Jail in 2023, Bishnoi had stated on camera that his only purpose in life is to kill Salman Khan. “We don’t want money. We just want him to visit our community temple and apologise to us. He humiliated my entire community by poaching a blackbuck. There is even a case against him but he has just refused to apologise,” Bishnoi had said in the interview.
The 31-year-old Bishnoi is involved in several murder and extortion cases. He came to limelight after his associate Brar claimed the responsibility of Moosewala’s murder, and said he planned the attack with Bishnoi, who was then in Tihar.
#BreakingNews | Five teams formed to find the main mastermind of Baba Siddique murder caseNews18’s @kotakyesha shares ground report@SakshiLitoriya_ | #BabaSiddique#Maharashtra#Mumbai#Crimepic.twitter.com/ScW9SWywxS
— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 13, 2024
BISHNOI’S FEUD WITH SALMAN KHAN
In April, gunshots were fired outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra. The two suspects later confessed to their link to the Bishnoi gang.
Last year in November, Bishnoi had posted a message on Facebook addressing Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal, which read, “You consider Salman Khan a brother, but now it’s time for your ‘brother’ to come and save you. This message is also for Salman Khan – don’t be in the illusion that Dawood will save you; no one can save you. Your dramatic response to Sidhu Moose Wala’s death did not go unnoticed. We all know the kind of person he was and the criminal associations he had… You’ve now landed on our radar. Consider this a trailer; the full film will be released soon. Flee to any country you wish, but remember, death doesn’t require a visa; it comes uninvited.”
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In March 2023, Khan’s manager received a threat email, following which an FIR was registered against Bishnoi and his associate and Canada-based gangster, Goldy Brar, and one Mohit Garg. The email referred to the interview Bishnoi had given from Tihar jail, issuing the death threat. The email sent from Garg’s ID said Brar wanted to talk to the actor “face to face”. It said while information has been passed on this time, the next time, there would be consequences.
In June 2022, a threat letter was kept on the Bandra Bandstand where the actor’s father, Salim Khan, goes for a walk. The letter referred to the murder of Sidhu Moosewala in May that year, allegedly by Bishnoi gang, and threatened the actor of meeting the same fate as the singer-turned-politician of Punjab.
In 2018, during a court appearance, Bishnoi had made a statement, “We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now, they are accusing me of crimes for no reason.”
