Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
Zeeshan Siddique, son of NCP leader Baba Siddique, and Bollywood actor Salman Khan received death threats, weeks after the former Maharashtra minister was shot dead in Mumbai allegedly by members of the Bishnoi gang. The 20-year-old suspected caller was arrested today in Noida.
The calls were made on Friday (October 25) evening and the police have also registered a case based on a complaint filed by the office of Zeeshan Siddique, an Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLA from the Bandra East constituency.
On October 12, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside this same office while bursting firecrackers on the occasion of Dusshera.
Besides the threats, the caller, Mohammad Tayyab alias Gurfan, also demanded ransom from Zeeshan Siddique and Salman Khan.
Tayyab, 20, was arrested on Tuesday morning in Noida’s Sector 39 area and the Mumbai Police are bringing him to the city on a transit remand.
Earlier on October 25, Zeeshan Siddique formally joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, nearly three months after his expulsion from the Congress for allegedly cross-voting in the Maharashtra legislative council elections.
He said joining the party was emotional, adding that he would contest the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections from the Bandra East constituency, the seat he won in 2019 on a Congress ticket.
Baba Siddique was the Congress MLA from the formerly undivided Bandra seat for two terms. He had resigned from Congress earlier this year and joined the NCP.
The police have so far arrested 15 people in connection with Baba Siddique’s murder.
A member of the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for killing the former state minister, saying he was targeted due to his close association with Salman Khan.
