Killed Baba Siddique on orders of Lawrence Bishnoi, says plotter Zeeshan Akhtar

Zeeshan Akhtar — accused No. 2 in the Mumbai Police chargesheet and allegedly the key plotter behind the assassination of NCP leader Baba Siddique — has claimed he orchestrated the killing at the behest of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

In an interview with India Today TV from an undisclosed location abroad, Akhtar, who fled India with help from Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti, confessed to his role in last year’s shooting outside the Bandra office of Siddique’s son. He also vowed never to return, alleging he had been framed in “false cases”.

“We were not paid to kill Baba Siddique. We did it out of brotherhood,” he said. “I will neither come to India nor think of doing so. I’ve never been to Mumbai. Our boys killed Baba Siddique. I didn’t do it with my own hands.”

Akhtar claimed he had fallen out with Lawrence Bishnoi due to “tensions” but insisted he continued to be targeted by police forces across multiple states. “Not just Mumbai Police — Delhi, Haryana, Punjab Police are all searching for me. Why should I surrender? I’ve been charged with false crimes, and now I’ll continue committing crimes,” he said.

The sensational confession comes days after the extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol Bishnoi, in connection with the same case.

According to Mumbai Police investigations, Akhtar, a resident of Jalandhar, is the alleged mastermind behind the plot that led to Siddique’s fatal shooting on October 12 last year — an attack publicly claimed by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Meanwhile, Zeeshan Siddique, the slain leader’s son, has escalated his criticism of Mumbai Police, accusing them of failing to arrest the primary conspirators despite naming them. “My father was murdered. The mastermind is still at large. What is being done to bring them back?” he asked at a recent press conference, calling the investigation a “mockery”.

He said he had contacted US authorities, only to be told that Akhtar was no longer in their jurisdiction and had been deported.

So far, 26 people have been arrested in the case, but the alleged plotter remains elusive — and unrepentant.