Baba Siddique's Wife Accuses Mumbai Police of Delaying Anmol Bishnoi's Custody
Shehzeen, the wife of late NCP leader Baba Siddique, has filed an application in a Mumbai special court alleging that the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is intentionally delaying taking custody of wanted accused Anmol Bishnoi due to 'external pressure'. The application, filed on Friday, comes after Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra East on the night of October 12, 2024.
Through her lawyers, Pradip Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, Shehzeen prayed that the police be called upon to explain why they have not secured the custody of Anmol Bishnoi, who is a key wanted accused in the murder case. Following the submission, the special court directed special public prosecutor Mahesh Mule to file a reply to the plea.
Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is alleged by the police to have ordered the killing of the 66-year-old political leader. The Mumbai Police has already filed a chargesheet against 27 individuals in connection with the murder. Anmol was recently deported to India by the United States government.
According to the court application, the investigation officer was expected to prioritize securing Anmol's custody. Instead, the plea alleges that the police are 'sitting with their hands tied' under the pretext that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took custody of him after his deportation.
The application further claims that interrogating Anmol would expose the roles of other individuals who conspired to commit the murder. Shehzeen alleged that the prosecuting agency is avoiding his custody because external pressures prevent them from letting these names surface. The family also stated that their previous attempts to get updates on the custody process were blocked, and their application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act was rejected on confidentiality grounds.
While police identify Bishnoi as the mastermind, Baba Siddique's son, Zeeshan, has previously claimed his father was killed due to their opposition to the Bharat Nagar redevelopment project, where they supported impacted slum dwellers.
