Baba Siddique Murder Case: 4th Accused Arrested From Bahraich, Police Say He Funded Shooters

Mumbai: The crime branch has nabbed Harishkumar Balakram Nishad, 26 – the fourth accused in the Baba Siddique murder case – from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. He is suspected of providing money and other logistical support to the shooters, an official said. The court has remanded him to police custody until October 21.

The police had earlier arrested Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh, Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Kashyap, both alleged shooters and “co-conspirator Pravin Lonkar from Pune.

According to the police, the Lonkar brothers – Pravin and Shubham – provided around Rs2 lakh to Nishad, who was present at Lonkars' dairy when the murder plot was hatched.

Nishad allegedly passed the money he received to alleged shooters, Dharamraj and Shivkumar, who are also from Bahraich. He had also reportedly come to Kurla and arranged for a rented accommodation for the accused.

Around a decade ago, Nishad, a college dropout, had arrived in Pune and worked with a scrap dealer. Four years ago, he opened his own scrap shop, where Shivkumar and Dharamraj worked, next to Lonkars' dairy. Interestingly, Shivkumar was known for celebratory firing during weddings in UP, which gave him considerable practice in shooting.

After the murder on October 12, the cops had found two pistols, a magazine, and 28 live cartridges at the scene. On Tuesday, a suspicious bag was found 200 metres from the crime scene. A 7.62 mm pistol and an Aadhaar card were found in it.