Crime branch invokes MCOCA against 26 accused in Baba Siddique murder case

The crime branch on Saturday invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act against 26 arrested accused in the murder case of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique.
The move was prompted by the emergence of gangster Anmol Bishnoi’s name in the investigation. Bishnoi, the brother of incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is currently detained in the United States.
The application of MCOCA is significant as it reflects the organised nature of the conspiracy. Anmol Bishnoi has a history of criminal activities, including involvement in firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence and conducting a recce of his Panvel farmhouse.
Also read: Anmol, a key operator of Lawrence Bishnoi’s global criminal syndicate
Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, active in crime since 2017, has multiple cases registered against him, including murder, extortion, and criminal intimidation in Punjab and Haryana.
“The case will now be transferred to an ACP rank officer for further investigation and court proceedings. This would make the case stronger,” said an officer.
Former Maharashtra minister Siddique, 66, was shot dead on October 12 by three assailants outside his son MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s office building in Bandra East. He sustained two bullet injuries on his chest and was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he passed away.
The 26 persons arrested in the case, include the alleged main shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam.
Suspected key conspirators Shubham Lonkar and Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar are still on the run. Police believe Bishnoi, Lonkar, and Akhtar orchestrated the conspiracy and are suspected to have fled to Nepal. Gautam, too, was planning to escape to Nepal but was apprehended before he could execute his plan. MCOCA which was invoked in the case was introduced in 1999 to curb organised and underworld crimes.
The law was later adopted by Delhi in 2002 and remains applicable in both Maharashtra and Delhi.
The act covers crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, murder or attempted murder, extortion, threats, and large-scale financial fraud linked to organised crime. It is important to note that confessions made to the police under MCOCA are admissible as evidence in court. It is also difficult to secure bail under the act.
Investigations have revealed financial links between the accused, with money transferred from Lonkar’s and Akhtar’s bank accounts to others involved in the crime.
“With the application of MCOCA, we can take custody of the accused and continue the interrogation to keep a check on them. The case will now be heard by a special court and a Special Public Prosecutor may also be appointed,” added the officer.
The investigating officer will also get more police custody and six months’ time to file a chargesheet. The maximum detention period for a person accused of an MCOCA crime is 180 days without trial, an extension from the standard maximum of 30 days under the IPC.
Another police officer said Anmol Bishnoi and another arrested accused have multiple serious criminal cases against them. These cases attract imprisonment for more than 10 years, hence it meets the criteria to invoke provisions of the MCOCA against them.