Baba Siddique Murder Case: Accused Zeeshan Akhtar Has Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Connection

Akhtar got in touch with the gang members in Patiala Jail. He was also wanted in nine other cases of target killing, murder and dacoity.

Mumbai: So far, three people have been arrested in connection with NCP (Ajit Power) leader Baba Siddique's murder in Mumbai on the night of October 12. The arrested are Gurmel from Haryana, Dharmaraj from UP and Praveen Lonkar from Pune. Search for the two other accused Shiv and Zeeshan Akhtar is on. Akhtar,21, is accused of providing accommodation to the assailants.

Police said he was giving directions to the shooters from outside and after Siddique was shot, he was sharing his location with them. Akhtar was lodged in Patiala Jail during which he came in contact with Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He was set free on June 7 this year and joined the gang.

Akhtar was born on 25 November 2003 in Shankar village in Nakodar of Jalandhar. His father Mohammad Jameel works as a mason helped by his 27-year-old brother. His sister died of dengue at the age of 9. Akhtar learned Arabic, Persian and Urdu at a madrassa in Maharashtra. After this, he attended a Madrassa of Afzal Garh village in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. He was admitted to the sixth standard at a government school in Shankar village where completed the 10th standard.

Subsequently, he started working with his father as a tile fixer. He was wanted in nine cases including target killing, murder and dacoity. Neighbours said he did not return home after being released from jail and they got to know about his bail and in association with Siddiqi's murder on TV. Akhtar committed his first murder in Tarn Taran of Punjab along with Saurabh Mahakal at the behest of Vikram Brar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Mahakal is the same person involved in sending threat letters to Bollywood actor Salman Khan's house and providing weapons and accommodation to the murderers of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Mumbai Police has already arrested him.

Villagers, Gagandeep and Raghbir, said Akhtar has been a drug addict for the last three to four years. His father fought with someone and said something to him. After this, he came in contact with Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Now, it is known that his name has cropped up in the Baba Siddique murder case.

Gagandeep said that even when Moosewala was murdered, the police repeatedly came to his house. It seemed that he could also be involved in the matter. Police were persistently looking for him at that time and inquired his family about his whereabouts.

Villagers said in 2021, a young man from the same village used to work with Akhtar's father. He stole a mobile phone from their house and sold it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper told Akhtar's father about the incident. When he confronted the young man, he beat him up, which turned Akhtar revengeful.

Police said he got in touch with Lawrence's close friend Vikram Brar through social media and continued chatting with him on WhatsApp for about 20 days. In August 2021, Brar asked him to move to the Kotakpura area. For this, Akhatar purportedly fought at home, so that the family members didn't not feel the pain of his departure. He left home with three phones and some clothes and sold one of the phones for money.

On reaching Kotakpura, he was picked up by Sukhi Jaito and Bhola Nihang in a silver XUV on the instructions of Brar. He was accommodated at Nihang's place where Makhal handed him over three pistols, again on the instructions from Brar.