A shooter from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, arrested in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, has alleged that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique had ties with India’s most-wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim, and is ‘not a good man.’ 

The NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister, Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12 by three assailants in Mumbai’s Bandra area.  

Yogesh, also known as Raju, a 26-year-old associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi-Hashim Baba gangs, was arrested in connection with the murder of gym owner Nadir Shah in Greater Kailash, Delhi, last month. 

Raju was apprehended following an encounter with a joint team from the Delhi Police Special Cell and Mathura Police on Thursday morning, during which he sustained a leg injury. Authorities recovered a .32-bore pistol, ammunition, and a motorcycle from him. After being treated at the district hospital for his injuries, Raju addressed reporters, denying any involvement in the Lawrence-Siddique killing. 

“Baba Siddique was killed because he was not a good man. There were charges against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). It is said that he was associated with Dawood, the man behind the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts,” Raju alleged. 

“When people get involved with such individuals, something is bound to happen. This is exactly what happened to Siddique,” he added. 

The shooter explained that criminals nowadays use mobile phones, the internet, and tools like Google to gather information about their targets before committing a crime, emphasising how easily details about individuals can be accessed through these means. “It was only through my friends from Delhi that we communicated, we are given direct targets. Anyone who gets in the way and does something wrong will face consequences,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned the need for the accused’s media interaction.  

In a post on ‘X’, Chaturvedi said, “He’s one of the Bishnoi gang members and is also a shooter arrested in Late Baba Siddique ji’s case and he is giving media bytes like some action hero explaining his stunts and that too in a police station.” 

“He’s one of the Bishnoi gang members and is also a shooter arrested in Late Baba Siddique ji’s case and he is giving media bytes like some action hero explaining his stunts and that too in a police station,” She further added.