5 pistols brought to Mumbai to kill NCP leader, reveals crime branch

Mumbai Crime Branch on Friday recovered another pistol in Kolkhe village of Panvel in the Baba Siddiqui murder case, which is the fourth weapon seized in the case. This country-made pistol brought from Udaipur along with three cartridges was found in the rented house of accused Ram Kanojia. This recovery took place after he was interrogated; However, it is not the same pistol seen in the photographs, and the crime branch is still searching for another pistol and three bullets in Pune.

Investigation revealed that Ram Kanojia transported three pistols from Udaipur with the help of another accused Amit Kumar, a resident of Rajasthan. Kanojia kept one weapon with herself and sent the remaining two to the shooters. Wanted shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam had earlier received two foreign-made firearms from the Bishnoi gang. Gautam kept an Australian Glock with himself, while the other pistol was taken by accused Harish Kumar Nishad to Pune.

According to crime branch sources, investigation is underway to find out who provided the two pistols to Gautam and what was their transportation route. The arrested shooters Dharamraj Kashyap, Gurmel Singh and Praveen Lonkar, who were involved in the conspiracy, gave information during interrogation. Photographs of the mobile phones of the accused revealed that around five pistols were brought to Mumbai.

Sources reveal that the two pistols given to Gautam by a Bishnoi gang member in July were foreign-made. Gautam had handed over the second pistol to Nishad during his trip from Pune to Mumbai in September to provide bikes to the shooters. Nishad then took the pistol back to Pune, where the Crime Branch is expected to recover it.

All three firearms used in Siddiqui's murder were foreign-made: a Turkish-made Tissa and two Australian Glocks.