Bone Test Confirms Adult Status Of Accused In NCP Leader's Murder Case

Highlights

   •  Court-ordered ossification test reveals shooter in Baba Siddique's assassination to be an adult, contradicting his claim of being a minor.
   •  Lawrence Bishnoi gang claims responsibility for the contract killing.

A bone ossification test has determined that Dharmaraj Kashyap, one of the accused in the assassination of NCP leader Baba Siddique, is an adult. This finding contradicts Kashyap's earlier claim of being a minor when presented in court. The test was conducted following a Mumbai court order, which subsequently remanded Kashyap and his co-accused to judicial custody until October 21.

Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and member of the NCP Ajit Pawar faction, was fatally shot outside his Mumbai office on a Saturday night. Law enforcement swiftly apprehended two shooters and a co-conspirator the following day. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the murder, which police have confirmed as a contract killing.

The controversy over Kashyap's age arose when he and fellow shooter Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana were brought before the court. Kashyap asserted he was 17 years old, prompting his counsel to inform the court. The prosecution challenged this claim, presenting an Aadhaar card showing Kashyap's birth year as 2003, suggesting he was 21. However, due to discrepancies in the name on the card and the absence of other age-verifying documents, the court ordered the bone ossification test.

Police have also arrested a 28-year-old Pune resident implicated in the murder conspiracy, along with his brother Shubham Lonkar. A third shooter, Shiv Kumar alias Shiva Gautam, remains at large. Authorities have identified Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, 21, as the alleged mastermind behind the assassination.

During interrogation, the shooters claimed affiliation with the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A social media post purportedly from a gang member later claimed responsibility for the murder, citing the victim's connection to Bollywood star Salman Khan as the motive. The gang has reportedly been targeting Khan for some time.

The investigation continues as authorities work to unravel the full extent of the conspiracy and its connections to organized crime.