Baba Siddique assailants were mistaken for mobile thieves as they fled the spot

MUMBAI: The assailants who shot former MLA Baba Siddique outside his son's office in Bandra east were initially mistaken for mobile thieves as they ran through a Durga Puja procession after firing at him from close range. As they fled the spot, having neutralised the police guard in charge of Siddique's security with pepper spray, they ran past the crowd of devotees and entered the Children's Park 25-30 metres away.

The sight of Siddique lying wounded on the ground next to his vehicle and the shouts from the crowd drew attention to the assailants as they ran into the park. A police team from Nirmal Nagar which was on bandobast duty nearby were directed to the spot within minutes. The team comprising assistant inspector Rajendra Dabhade, sub-inspectors Shailesh Chaudhary. Sudarshan Bankar, Vishal Palande, constables Sabdeep Awhad, Kiran Shelar, Sangram Athigre, and ATC staff Bhavesh N and Pratik Jadhav, surrounded the park.

The team said they had responded to wireless messages from their senior from the police station. "Initially, everyone thought they were mobile thieves. Two of them were seen entering the park while a third disappeared into the crowd. We pursued the two armed suspects to the deserted Children Park near the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Regional Office," said an officer.

The guard at the Children's Park, Anwar Khan, said he was preparing food when he heard cops knocking at the gate. "I accompanied them to all the corners of the park as it was pitch dark at night and there are lots of trees."

After a thorough search lasting 25 minutes, one team apprehended Dharmaraj Kashyap as he tried to scale the barbed wire boundary wall to escape via the Western Express Highway. Another team cornered Gurnail Singh, who surrendered after discarding his weapon. "We seized two Glock automatic pistols and four magazines containing at least 28 bullets from the suspects," said the police.

A police source from Nirmal Nagar said, "Siddique had three cops as security for some time-two on day duty and one at night. He did not alert us of any threat message or call received recently. The attackers seem to have taken advantage of the firecrackers being burst and the crowd on the street," said a Nirmal Nagar police.

The seized weapons will undergo ballistic expert analysis to determine their make and the origin of the fired bullets. A case has been registered under BNS sections for murder, attempt to murder, endangering life, as well as the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.