The Mumbai Crime Branch has unveiled chilling details in its chargesheet regarding the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui. The chargesheet, filed in a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, reveals that a contract payment of Rs 17 lakh was arranged for the execution of the murder. Shubham Lonkar, one of the accused, played a significant role in managing the money transaction for the assassination.

In a detailed 4,590-page chargesheet, the Crime Branch named 29 individuals involved in the conspiracy, of which 26 have already been arrested, while three remain on the run, including Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The chargesheet sheds light on how the accused used accounts under the name of Salman Bohra in Gujarat and Karnataka to channel the funds for the murder plot.

The investigation also revealed that members of the Bishnoi gang were heavily involved in orchestrating the crime, with the shooters admitting to challenges in carrying out the killing. They confessed that if the murder had not taken place on the specific day it did, it might have never occurred.

Interestingly, the accused also disclosed that over Rs 10,000 was spent on purchasing pepper spray, which was part of their preparations for the assassination. They also mentioned the exhaustive surveillance or ?recce? they had conducted but had faced difficulty in finding the right opportunity to execute the murder.

Fugitive gangster Anmol Bishnoi, who allegedly masterminded the assassination, is said to have ordered the killing to create "an atmosphere of terror" through his criminal syndicate. The police have gathered substantial evidence against all 29 accused, and they have invoked MCOCA provisions against the arrested suspects.

Among the arrested individuals are the alleged main shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, and his accomplices. All of the suspects have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murder, along with MCOCA for their involvement in organized crime. They are currently in judicial custody.

The Crime Branch has recorded statements from 88 individuals and identified a total of 180 witnesses, including former MLA Zeeshan Siddique. Police have also recovered five firearms, six magazines, and 35 mobile phones from the accused.