### Ex-Minister Baba Siddique Assassinated in Broad Daylight, Shooters Use Smoke Firecracker to Distract Security

In a gruesome incident that has shaken Mumbai, former Maharashtra minister and three-time MLA, Baba Siddique, was gunned down on Saturday night. Siddique was leaving the office of his son, current Bandra (E) MLA Zeeshan Siddique, and walking towards his car when he was ambushed.

According to police sources, the attackers used a smoke firecracker to divert the attention of the three policemen assigned to Siddique's security detail. The smokescreen created by the firecracker caused temporary irritation and watering of their eyes. The momentary distraction allowed the assailants to indiscriminately shoot at Siddique, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Head Constable Shyam Magan Sonawane, 47, recounted that as he asked Siddique's driver to bring the vehicle forward, one of the attackers ignited the firecracker. "I thought it was a celebratory firecracker at first, but then the assailants opened fire on Siddique," Sonawane said in his statement to the police. Sonawane is now the complainant in the FIR lodged at Nirmal Nagar police station.

Currently, three men have been arrested in connection with the killing: shooters Gurmail Singh and Dharmaraj Kashyap, and co-conspirator Pravin Lonkar. It is suspected that the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang orchestrated the assassination. Bishnoi is presently incarcerated in Gujarat's Sabarmati Central Prison. The investigation is ongoing, with another gang member, Shubham Lonkar, known to have claimed responsibility for the murder via a social media post. Shubham Lonkar is absconding and is also Pravin Lonkar’s brother.

The police have intensified their search for two more individuals involved in the case, Shivkumar Gautam and Mohamed Zeeshan Akhtar. Gautam is alleged to be one of the shooters present in Bandra, while Akhtar is believed to have been the recipient of the contract to kill Siddique.

Pravin Lonkar was apprehended from Pune on Sunday by the Crime Branch and was presented before the Esplanade court in Mumbai on Monday, following a medical examination. The court has placed him in police custody until October 21. Investigations are ongoing as authorities aim to bring all perpetrators to justice.