MUMBAI: In a shocking incident Baba Ziauddin Siddique popularly called Baba Siddique, a prominent leader of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a former Maharashtra minister, was shot outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area on Saturday night past 9 pm.

The 66-year-old popular leader from the region was rushed to the nearby Lilavati Hospital at 9.30 pm in a serious condition and the doctors in the emergency tried resuscitation to save him, later shifting him to the ICU where further attempts for revival were made. However, since he had lost a lot of blood the doctors could not revive Siddique and he succumbed to the bullet injuries. He was declared dead at about 11.30 pm in the night. 

In a statement, Lilavati Hospital said that when Siddique was brought in the emergency room, his pulse and blood pressure were unrecordable, and the ECG showed a flat line. Dr Jalil Parkar, a physician at Lilavati Hospital said to the reporters. “ We shifted him to the ICU and attempts were made to review him, but he was declared dead around 11.27 pm. He had bullet wounds on his chest." Dr. Nitin Gokhale, a cardiologist at the same hospital, mentioned that the precise number of bullets would be determined after a postmortem examination. 

According to eyewitnesses Siddique was accosted and attacked by three assailants when he was leaving his Nirmal Nagar office for his residence in Bandra West on Saturday night when there was noise of bursting firecrackers, due to the Dussehra celebration and opened fire from small firearms like a pistol.

About six to seven rounds of bullets were fired at Baba Siddique, three of which hit him, some bullets hit the windscreen of his car while others were missed. As per the initial reports, while one of the assailants fled the spot the two others went into hiding among the bushes around the ground and were apprehended by the police. The police have got credible leads from the two assailants that were arrested with initial reports suggesting that the murder was executed by the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang and they have launched a manhunt for the third shooter who would be attempting to escape from the city.

Bishnoi's gang is most notorious for criminal activities in North India but more concentrated in Punjab and Haryana. The gang has targeted several high-profile people including Bollywood star Salman Khan who has received multiple threats from Bishnoi's gang and for the past few years, there have been attempts made to target him.

On April 14 gunshots were fired outside Salman Khan’s Bandra-based Galaxy Apartment residence by two bike-borne men early in the morning, and Mumbai Police linked the attack to Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, which allegedly hired the shooters. About six arrests were made in the case including suspects Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal who were apprehended from Gujarat, and Anuj Thapan and another individual were arrested from Punjab, Thapan later died in hospital after an attempt to end his life while in police custody.