Baba Siddique murder: Fourth accused sent to police custody till October 21

Accused Harish Kumar Balakram Nisad was arrested on October 14 in Uttar Pradesh and brought to Mumbai on Tuesday. Police alleged that Nisad provided financial and logistical support to the other accused in the case.

In Short

• Accused provided shelter and funding to shooters of Baba Siddique
• Accused was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich
• Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12

A Mumbai court on Tuesday remanded Harish Kumar Balakram Nisad, a 26-year-old resident of Uttar Pradesh, to crime branch custody until October 21. Nisad is a suspect in the murder of former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddiqui. While giving the orders, the court noted the seriousness of the case and the need for custodial interrogation.

Nisad was arrested on October 14 in Uttar Pradesh and brought to Mumbai on Tuesday. Police alleged that Nisad provided financial and logistical support to the other accused in the case, including the third shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, who remains on the run. He is the fourth individual to be arrested after Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a resident of Haryana, Dharmaraj Kashyap (19) from Uttar Pradesh - both accused shooters - and Pravin Lonkar, a Pune-based co-conspirator.

The crime branch informed the court that Nisad might have information on Gautam’s whereabouts and the procurement of firearms used in the murder of NCP MLA Baba Siddiqui. Police have also claimed that Nisad's financial transactions are linked to the crime, stating that he played a role in disbursing funds to the accused.

Nisad’s lawyer opposed the prosecution’s claims, arguing that his client was being framed.

The court had earlier remanded two other accused, Gurmail Baljit Singh and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, to crime branch custody until October 21. Both are accused of gunning down Siddiqui. A third suspect, Pravin Lonkar, was also sent to custody for his alleged involvement with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Baba Siddiqui, who had recently joined the Nationalist Congress Party, was shot dead on October 12 near his son’s office in Nirmal Nagar. Police said that the suspects had been conducting surveillance on Siddiqui for weeks before the killing.