Baba Siddique killing: Suspects from Haryana, Punjab and UP, two with criminal records

According to Haryana police, Singh (25), who is among the two nabbed so far, was arrested earlier for killing a distant relative. He was accused of conspiring with another person named Ashok to kill the latter’s brother, Sunil, on May 31, 2019. Both Singh and Ashok were arrested and lodged in Kaithal’s prison.

Police said Singh is suspected to have come in contact with some members of the Rohit Godara gang during his stay in the jail. Godara is considered a close aide and key member of the Bishnoi gang.

Singh was later released on bail, and moved to Mumbai, police said.

At her home in Narar village of Kaithal, Singh’s grandmother, Phulli Devi (80), said they had disowned him nearly a decade ago. “I don’t care whether he is alive or dead. He has committed a sin by killing a person. We have nothing to do with him,” she said.

“He was in jail for nearly four years in the murder case of his cousin. We don’t know who released him from jail. His associates probably got him released,” she said.

She said Singh left home three-four months back, and there were no phone calls from him since then. “He is my grandson but I don’t have any link with him now. If he commits such crimes, we don’t have any relations with him,” she said.

While Singh lost his father, a labourer, when he was just nine months old, his mother died a few months ago. He does not have any siblings, said relatives.

The village sarpanch’s husband, Satish Dhiman, said Singh was part of a group of local goons. Besides the murder case, he was also booked in an assault case in 2017, in which he was later acquitted.

“We are getting more details about him. So far, nobody from Mumbai Police has got in touch with me, but they may be in touch with the Haryana STF,” Rajesh Kalia, Kaithal Superintendent of Police (SP) told The Indian Express.

Jalandhar police said Akhtar was named in several criminal cases including attempt to murder, Arms Act violations, robbery, extortion and harboring criminals. He was arrested in June 2022 during a police operation that led to the capture of 11 members of an inter-state gang backed by Bishnoi and another gangster, Harvinder Ridha.

At the time, then Jalandhar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapan Sharma had said Akhtar was wanted in several criminal cases and had been absconding. He was reportedly released in June this year.

Following his release, his whereabouts were traced to Kaithal, where he is suspected to have met Singh, police said. He is then suspected to have travelled to Mumbai. Akhtar’s family is involved in the construction business.

In UP, police said the two suspects from Bahraich district had no criminal history.

The family of Kashyap said he left home about two months ago to work in Pune. “We knew that he was working at a scrapyard, but have no idea how he got involved in this criminal case. He only had friends in the village. We have no clue how he became entangled in such a serious crime,” his father told The Indian Express.

The youngest of five siblings, he had dropped out of school after Class 5. His father, who has a shop in the village, said he would help out with the business before leaving for Pune.

The family learnt of his arrest when local police visited their home early in the morning. “For the past five months, he had been urging us to let him go to Pune for work, as some of his friends were earning well there. After his persistent requests, we finally allowed him to leave about two months ago,” his father said.

He said Kashyap had mentioned that he would be staying with his friend, Shivkumar Gautam, from the same village.

“We are certain that he would never have considered getting involved in any criminal activities. We urge the police to thoroughly investigate his involvement, as we cannot believe he could be connected to this murder or any other crime,” he said.

Rajnath Singh, Station House Officer of Kaiserganj police station in Bahraich, confirmed that there were no criminal records against the duo.

Shivkumar (20), who moved to Pune about three years ago, is the eldest son of a labourer, Bal Kishan. He last visited home during Holi, said his family.

His uncle, Santosh Gautam, said Shivkumar had first gone to Pune with some friends who were already working there. He has three brothers and three sisters, and is unmarried. “Bahraich police visited my house and collected details about him,” he said.

“We were all surprised to hear about their involvement. Both families are simple, and we have never heard of either of them misbehaving with anyone in the village,” said the village head Zaibul Nisha’s son, advocate Hasnain Kamal.

“We have never seen any of their friends from outside the village,” said Ali Hasan, a villager.