Baba Siddique murder: Mumbai court denies bail to 3 accused

Mumbai, Oct 6 (PTI) A special court in Mumbai on Monday refused to grant bail to three accused arrested in connection with the murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique last year.

The bail pleas of accused Kisan Pardhi, Gaurav Apune and Anurag Kashyap were rejected by special MCOCA judge Mahesh Jadhav, but a detailed order was not available yet, special public prosecutor Mahesh Mule said.

Siddique (66) was shot dead by three assailants outside his son and former MLA Zeeshan's office in Mumbai's Bandra (East) area on the night of October 12, 2024.

Apune had been offered the murder contract, before he backed out. However, questioning of some of the arrested accused showed he was nevertheless involved in the conspiracy to attack the veteran politician, police claimed.

Apune had been trained in the use of firearms by some of the absconding accused, they said.

Kashyap is accused of helping one of the shooters flee to Nepal after the incident, while Pardi, along with others, had allegedly provided firearms and logistical support to the assailants, according to police.

As many as 26 arrested people have been chargesheeted in the case. They have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and are currently in jail under judicial custody.

Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been shown as a wanted accused in the police chargesheet.

As per the prosecution, Anmol Bishnoi hatched a conspiracy to kill Siddique with the intention to instil fear and establish his crime syndicate's dominance. PTI AVI BNM RSY