Gangster Anmol Bishnoi had ordered the hit on Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique for his 'association with Dawood Ibrahim and involvement in the 1993 Bombay blasts', alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam in his confessional statement to the police.
A Special Investigation Team of Maharashtra Police told a court at Beed on Wednesday that Santosh Deshmukh was killed because he was thought to be an obstacle in a plan to extort Rs 2 crore from an energy firm, and Walmik Karad was in contact with his killers when the crime was executed.
A special court in Thane, India, has acquitted six individuals, including a former corporator, in an extortion case. The court cited "lack of evidence" and "procedural lapses" by the prosecution, as well as "unreliable testimonies" of witnesses, as reasons for granting the accused the benefit of doubt.
The Mumbai police have named Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as the main conspirator in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique. Eight accused in the case, including the alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam, have been remanded in police custody till December 7. The police invoked provisions of the stringent MCOCA against all 26 accused in the case. Anmol Bishnoi, who was recently detained in the US and lodged in a prison there, has been shown as a wanted accused in the case. He was providing financial support to other accused, and a probe is underway to ascertain the source and utilization of funds. The crime branch has so far arrested 26 persons in connection with the case.
Both Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi have been named as wanted accused in the April 14 firing incident outside the Bollywood actor Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai's Bandra area.
Holding that it was not the Centre alone, but states also have the power to enact laws to tackle insurgency, the Supreme Court upheld the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
Three policemen have been suspended for alleged negligence in duty, taking cognisance of videos in which a sharpshooter of Lawrence Bishnoi gang interacts with reporters while in police custody and comments on Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique's killing, officials said on Saturday.
Khan's statement and the contents of the FIR at this stage indicate "the shots were fired in the direction of his place of use in his house", the court said in its order.
The total number of arrests in the sensational case now stands at nine, while three key persons are on the run.
The 1,735-page chargesheet was filed by the crime branch in a special MCOC court.
"You will create history by doing this job and your name will be there in all newspapers and other media," it said, citing their conversation.
The accused, Vickykumar Gupta, stated that Lawrence Bishnoi has been wrongly named in the case and that he had no role to play in the shooting as alleged by the Mumbai police.
He heard a firecracker-like sound while being asleep at his residence in Galaxy Apartments in the early hours of April 14, Khan told police.
On September 29, 2008, a bomb explosion at 9:35pm opposite Shakil Goods Transport Company situated between Anjuman Chowk and Bhiku Chowk in Malegaon killed six persons and injured 101.
Quoting a dialogue on the villain Gabbar Singh from the Hindi blockbuster Sholay, the Supreme Court on Wednesday "confirmed" its earlier order staying the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
The police are also likely to take custody of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a jail in Gujarat's Sabarmati, and was also contemplating invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the case, he said.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it would like to examine the plea of the Maharashtra government, challenging the remission granted to gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who is serving a life sentence in a murder case.
The Bombay high court on Friday queried if it amounted to confinement when the juvenile accused in the Pune Porsche case was granted bail but was taken back in custody and kept in an observation home.
Shetty was shot dead by two alleged members of Rajan's gang on the hotel's first floor on May 4, 2001.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed till further orders the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of the Maharashtra government challenging a Bombay high court order which paved the way for premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
Pujari is allegedly involved in eight serious cases in Mumbai, including firing, extortion and murder. A resident of Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli, he had fled from the country years ago. He had allegedly targeted builders and businessmen in eastern Mumbai, the crime branch official said.
The Delhi high court on Monday granted bail to four convicts serving life imprisonment in the murder case of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.
A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted four people for the murder of television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, who was shot dead 15 years ago while she was returning home from work.
The court also ordered that of the total fine amount imposed on the convicts, Rs 12 lakh will be paid to the victim's family.
The Law Commission on Friday told a parliamentary panel that there was a need to define as to what amounts to "lynching" in the proposed Bharat Nyay Sanhita, sources said.
Shinde made the sensational claim while speaking to reporters on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly's Budget session.
Gangster Sachin Bishnoi, who was allegedly involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, was extradited from Azerbaijan and brought back to India on Tuesday, officials of the Delhi police said.
Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday arrived at the Patiala House court in the national capital in connection with the Rs 200 crores money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
HS Dhaliwal, special commissioner of police, special cell, told media that the singer's death was an organised and brazen killing.
The other three people chargesheeted are Arif Abubakar Shaikh, Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Qureshi --- all residents of Mumbai.
Gangster Ejaz Lakdawala on Thursday brought the bottle and sought a mosquito net, but his plea was rejected by the sessions court.
The high court said the investigation has shown the crime proceeds were used for air travel and purchase of high-end branded gifts for Bollywood celebrities.
Special Judge Praveen Singh said there was no ground for the accused to file the application before the court.
The police said ever since Chandrasherkar has been jailed, the prison had become a hub of illegal activities which he carried out with the help of jail officials.
The police will also ask Kamble about who kept the threatening letter at a bench in Bandra area of Mumbai on Sunday, he said.
The purpose of the interrogation is to get some leads on the whereabouts of Santosh Jadhav, a member of the Bishnoi gang and one of the accused in the Moosewala murder case, who is currently on the run, he said.
The top court said where a person commits no unlawful activity after the invocation of the Act, in such circumstances, he cannot be arrested under it for offences committed before the law came into force, even if found guilty of the same.
Gangster and Mumbai serial blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar has been taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs case, the agency said on Wednesday.
At the outset, his counsel submitted before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma that he wishes to withdraw the petition and wants to file it before the Punjab and Haryana high court.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances