Shiv Kumar Gautam (left)

MUMBAI: Shiv Kumar Gautam, one of the alleged shooters in the Baba Siddique murder case, has reportedly told the police that the former minister was targeted because of his close links with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and actor Salman Khan. Gautam had been promised Rs 10 lakh, a foreign trip and monthly expenses, police said.
Gautam told the police that wanted accused Shubham Lonkar told him that gangster Anmol Bishnoi wanted to exert his supremacy in Mumbai and create terror. According to police sources, Gautam claimed that his handler, Lonkar, manipulated him through provocative lectures.
Siddique’s MLA son Zeeshan did not respond to TOI’s calls or text messages seeking comment on the allegations.