Baba Siddique murder case: Accused shooter Dharmaraj is ‘not minor’, confirms bone test

Baba Siddique's murder case: A bone ossification test on Dharamaraj Kashyap, one of the two accused shooters arrested for the murder of senior NCP leader Baba Siddique, indicates he is not a minor, an official said Monday. A Mumbai court Sunday ordered the test to confirm his age, as Kashyap had claimed he was a minor.

After the test results refuted Kashyap's claim of being a minor, he was presented before the court, which granted police custody till October 21, ANI reported. The Mumbai Police is searching for other accused persons in the Baba Siddique murder case.

Baba Siddique's murder accused

The NCP leader was shot dead by assailants in Mumbai's Bandra on Saturday, October 12. The politician was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his bullet injuries. 

The police arrested Dharmaraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh. Dharmaraj Kashyap was reported to be 19 years old at the time of the crime. However, Kashyap's lawyer claimed that he was a minor, leading Mumbai's Esplanade Court to order the ossification test of the accused, reported PTI.

“His (Dharmaraj Kashyap's) lawyer claimed he was a minor. The test was conducted, and it was confirmed that he was not a minor. He was produced in court, and the court has granted police custody till October 21,” said Mumbai police.

Another accused in the case, Gurmail Singh, was also sent to the Mumbai crime branch's custody till October 21. The police are investigating and finding the third accused in the case, identified as Shivakumar.

What is an ossification test?

An ossification test is a medical procedure that analyses bones to determine a person's age. The test includes the analysis of the degree of bone fusion with the help of X-rays of certain bones in the body, including the clavicle, sternum, and pelvis.

Accused persons arrested in Baba Siddique murder case

The police arrested two accused shooters in the case, Gurmail Singh and Dharmaraj Kashyap, within a day after the murder of the senior NCP leader Baba Siddique. The police arrested Pravin Lonkar, the third person linked with the case, on Sunday.

According to the news agency ANI, 28-year-old Pravin Lonkar is the brother of Shubham Lonkar, who is also involved in the conspiracy. According to the officials, the two allegedly enlisted Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam in the plot to kill Siddique, officials said.

The police on Monday nabbed Pravin Lonkar's brother, Shubham Lonkar, from Pune. Notably, his brother Shubuu Lonkar had earlier taken responsibility for Baba Siddique's murder on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. According to Mumbai Police, Shubham Lonkar gave shelter to both the arrested accused in Pune. Shubuu Lonkar is currently absconding.