Baba Siddique murder: Mumbai court sends five accused to police custody till Dec 20

Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday remanded five accused arrested in NCP leader Baba Siddique’s murder case to police custody till December 20 after investigators said they need to interrogate them about an absconding accused and the weapons used in the crime.

These five accused are Pravin Lonkar, brother of absconding accused Shubman Lonkar, Bhagwat Singh, Akshdeep Singh, Salman Vohra and Sumit Wagh. All of them were in jail under judicial custody when police sought their remand.

Police sought custody of Pravin Lonkar from the court hearing cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), saying they need to interrogate him on the whereabouts of his absconding brother.

The other accused need to be questioned about source and supply of weapons and financial angle linked to the October 12 murder in Mumbai, they told the court.

Defence lawyer Siddharth Agarwal submitted that there was no new ground for seeking custody of his clients.

Agarwal also filed a pursis (a document submitted in court) for Lonkar, saying he was not willing to give a confessional statement under the MCOCA.

It may be noted that confessions made to the police under the stringent anti-organised crime law are admissible as evidence in a court of law.

The court, after hearing both sides, remanded the five accused to police custody till December 20.

The five accused, along with 21 others arrested in the case, have been charged under the stringent provisions of MCOCA.

The Mumbai crime branch, probing the sensational murder of Siddique (66), has until now arrested 26 accused, including the alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam.

All the accused, except five, are currently in jail under judicial custody.

The former Maharashtra minister was shot dead by three assailants in the Bandra (East) area more than two months ago.