A video showing a man speaking to the media while in police custody is being shared widely on social media with the false claim that it shows the shooter of slain politician Baba Siddique addressing the press under police custody.
BOOM found that the person in the video is Yogesh Kumar, who is part of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Kumar's name is not among the accused arrested by the police so far in the Baba Siddiqui murder case. He was arrested a month ago in connection to the murder of a Delhi gym owner, and has not been named as a suspect in Siddique's assassination.
On October 12, 2024, National Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Baba Siddique was shot and killed in Bandra's Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai.
In the viral video, the person is heard claiming that Baba Siddique was involved in illegal activities, stating, "Baba Siddique was not a good man. A case under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) was registered against him, and he was linked to Dawood."
A user on X shared the video with the caption, “Baba Siddique sh@oter made a Press Conference under Mumbai Police custody & Justified his act Said, Baba Siddique was not a Good person hence he deserved to Die Pls close Police Dept & all Courts, now onwards Lawrence Bishnoi Gang will take care of Law & Order.”
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This video is also viral on Facebook with the claim, "Meet the shooter of Baba Siddique. It is a matter of great shame that the criminal who committed the murder is holding a press conference and justifying it, that too in police custody. He is having gutkha also. Never ever seen any criminal holding a press conference.”
Chick here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
The claim that the viral video shows the shooter in Baba Siddique’s murder is false.
BOOM traced back the video to a post shared by News24 on their X handle, with the caption, "Bishnoi gang shooter arrested by police said 'Baba Siddique was not a good man.'" "बाबा सिद्दीकी कोई अच्छा आदमी नहीं था" ◆ पुलिस की गिरफ़्त में आए बिश्नोई गैंग के शूटर ने कहा."
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Taking cue from this, we did a few keyword searches, and found more news reports on the person addressing the press conference. According to articles by The Hindu and Deccan Herald, the person in the video is an individual named Yogesh alias Raju, who operates under the Lawrence Bishnoi-Hashim Baba gang, and is under arrest in connection to the murder of Nadir Shah, a gym owner in Delhi.
Details of Yogesh Kumar’s Arrest
According to media reports, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police was searching for Yogesh Kumar, linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, for the Nadir Shah murder case. On the night of October 16, 2024, police received information that he was in the Refinery Police Station area of Mathura.
The next day, Delhi Police, along with Mathura Police, conducted a search operation. During an encounter, Kumar was shot in the leg while trying to escape on a bike. He was subsequently arrested and hospitalized. Police recovered a pistol, seven live cartridges, and a stolen motorcycle.
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Baba Siddique Murder Accused
According to media reports on the Baba Siddique murder case, police have arrested multiple suspects, including five individuals on October 18, 2024: Nitin Sapre from Dombivali, Ramful Chand Kanaujia from Panvel, Sambhaji Kishore Pardhi, Pradeep Dattu Thombre, and Chetan Pardhi from Ambarnath. These individuals were allegedly involved in providing weapons and logistical support to the main suspects. The police had previously arrested two shooters, Gurmel Baljit Singh and Dharamraj Rajesh Kashyap, while the third shooter, Shiv Kumar, remains at large. Another suspect, Praveen Lonkar, was also arrested, whose brother, Shubham Lonkar, had claimed responsibility for Siddique’s murder on behalf of Lawrence Bishnoi.