One of the suspects in the Baba Siddique murder case was also questioned in the case pertaining to the firing outside the residence of actor Salman Khan in April. He was, however, let off because of a lack of evidence. His name is Shubham Lonkar.
Shubham Lonkar is the brother of Pravin Lonkar who was the third accused arrested in connection with the murder case of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. As per the police, Shubham Lonkar is yet to be apprehended and is allegedly associated with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Baba Siddique was shot dead by three men on Saturday night. A member of the Bishnoi gang reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder. Six rounds were fired on him, two of which hit the former Maharashtra minister on the chest, outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s Nirmal Nagar between 9.15 pm and 9.30 pm on Saturday.
Police have so far arrested three persons – Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters, and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar from Pune. Another suspected shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, who hails from Bahraich in UP and is on the run.
Who is Shubham Lonkar?
Shubham Lonkar is said to be a history-sheeter and suspected to have links with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
According to reports, Shubham Lonkar is emerging as one of the main accused in the conspiracy of this murder case. News agency PTI reported on Tuesday, the investigation revealed that Shubham Lonkar and other wanted accused had conspired to the shooting and supplied arms to the gunmen who attacked the 66-year-old NCP leader.
The Mumbai Police said earlier that Lonkaris is one of the conspirators who, along with Shubham Lonkar, enlisted Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam in the plot.
Prima facie, Shubham Lonkar had posted on Facebook, attributing the attack to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. This post has since been deleted, but screenshots have circulated widely, PTI reported. The Facebook account “Shubuu Lonkar Maharashtra” had posted the message on Sunday. Meanwhile, according to an ABP report, sources said the real name of “Shubuu Lonkar” could be Shubham Lonkar.
The post that went viral on social media, had a confession of Baba Siddiqui’s murder and also mentioned the names of Salman Khan and Dawood gang. The Mumbai Police are now coordinating with social media platforms to trace the origins of the post.
The Mumbai Police said Pravin Lonkar “is the brother of Shubuu Lonkar who posted on social media that Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the murder. Shubuu Lonkar is absconding at the moment. Pravin Lonkar gave shelter to both the arrested accused in Pune.”
Shubham Lonkar was incarcerated in a separate arms case registered against him in Akola district in January. During investigation, his connection with Lawrence Bishnoi gang came to light.
He was earlier called for questioning in the case of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s house. Sources told NDTV that after the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence, Galaxy Apartments, in Bandra, Shubham Lonkar was one of the people who had been picked up for questioning.
His name was allegedly taken by several people who had been interrogated in the case. The sources reportedly said Lonkar was accused of providing shelter to the suspects in the firing case but had to be let go because no strong evidence could be found.