3 min readMumbaiMar 5, 2026 04:00 AM ISTBaba Siddique was shot dead in Bandra on Oct 12, 2024.SEEKING DISMISSAL of a plea by widow of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique for an SIT-monitored probe, the Mumbai Police said that the allegation of involvement of builder lobby in the murder was based on “mere suspicion and conjecture” and without any evidence.The police reply to the plea stated that the probe established “beyond doubt” the involvement of organised crime syndicate of Anmol Bishnoi and there was no concrete evidence in WhatsApp messages submitted by the petitioner and they had no link to the murder. Siddique was shot dead by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Bandra (East) on October 12, 2024.A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A Ankhad has been hearing plea by Shehzeen Siddique, alleging that investigation by Mumbai Police was “misleading” and attempt was made to save the persons involved in the murder.The plea filed through advocate Trivankumar Karnani claimed the police have “failed to collect the incriminating material against the builder lobby” from the petitioner, her family and others and the entire probe stopped at Anmol Bishnoi (brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi) “without going to the root of the truth and against the charge-sheeted accused.”The petition claimed that Zeeshan had named builders Mohit Kamboj, Prithvijeet Chavan, Ashok Mundra and Vijay Thakkar, among others, in his statement to the police. However, “no investigation whatsoever has been done from the said point of view.”In response to this, the police affidavit stated, “The allegation levelled are false, baseless and made with ulterior motive to malign the image of the Respondents. After recording the statement of Petitioner’s son all leads emanating from his statement have been followed and investigated. However, the investigation has not found any evidence to link the builders named by him to the commission of the murder.” In an affidavit filed by Kishorkumar Shinde, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), DCB/CID, D (Special), the Mumbai Police stated the probe was conducted “professionally and meticulously” as per law and chargesheet was filed based on concrete evidence, forensic reports, confessional statements among others.“The allegation regarding the builder lobby is based on mere suspicion and conjecture without any concrete evidence. The statement of Zeeshan Siddique has been duly recorded and examined. In the entire statement of Zeeshan Siddique, he has nowhere raised any suspicion against any builders, named in his statement, that they were responsible for killing his father. Neither the mobile phone and personal diary of his deceased father were produced by him,” the police claimed.Story continues below this ad“The investigation has followed all leads found from his statement. However, no evidence has been found to link any builder to the commission of the present offence. The investigation has established that the murder was committed by the organized crime syndicate headed by Anmol Bishnoi for the purpose of creating terror, gaining supremacy and pecuniary benefits,” the affidavit added. The police further claimed that WhatsApp messages referred to by Shehzeen were “general in nature and do not establish any direct threat or motive for murder” and “interpretation given by petitioner to the WhatsApp messages is her own subjective understanding.”Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Baba Siddique