October 14, 2024: In a significant development in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique, one of the accused, Dharmaraj Kashyap, has been confirmed to be an adult following a bone ossification test. This test was conducted after Kashyap claimed to be a minor in court.

Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, was shot dead outside his office in Mumbai on Saturday night. Following the incident, Mumbai police arrested two shooters and a co-conspirator, linking the crime to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has claimed responsibility for the assassination, identifying it as a contract killing.

When Kashyap, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was presented before the court, he asserted that he was 17 years old. However, the prosecution raised objections, citing an Aadhaar card indicating a birth year of 2003, which would make him 21. The name on the Aadhaar card differed from his, and he lacked a birth certificate or school-leaving certificate to substantiate his claim of being a minor.

The magistrate subsequently ordered the bone ossification test to accurately determine Kashyap's age. The results confirmed that he is indeed an adult, and he has been remanded to judicial custody until October 21.

In addition to Kashyap, police have apprehended another accused, a 28-year-old from Pune, who is reportedly linked to the murder conspiracy alongside his brother, Shubham Lonkar. The third shooter, Shiv Kumar, also known as Shiva Gautam, remains at large. Authorities are actively pursuing leads to locate him.

Further investigations revealed that another suspect, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, 21, is believed to be the mastermind behind the assassination. During questioning, both shooters admitted to their affiliation with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A member of the gang later posted a message on social media, claiming responsibility for the murder, citing Siddique's connections to Bollywood star Salman Khan as a motive.