Police look for mystery man who wants to ‘sign off’ as Baba Siddique

Baba Siddique during an Iftaar party in 2023. FILE PIC/ SATEJ SHINDE

In a twist following the assassination of politician Baba Siddique, his daughter Arshia Siddique has filed a fresh FIR at Bandra police station against an unknown individual who allegedly attempted to fraudulently become the ‘authorised signatory' of her late father's mobile number. The number is linked to the family's real estate and business firm, Zears Business India LLP.

What initially appeared to be a routine 96-hour window for updating authorised signatory details turned into a critical moment of revelation. The mobile service provider's automated response to a spoofed email - intended to hijack control of Siddique's mobile number - ended up exposing the cyber intrusion when it CC'd the original email ID of Shehzeen Siddique, the late NCP leader's wife.

Alarmed by this suspicious activity, Arshia registered an FIR, suspecting a deeper conspiracy possibly linked to her father's assassination. The Bandra police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on June 26. However, no arrests have been made yet.

The cyber intrusion

According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that the accused had accessed sensitive personal credentials, including Shehzeen Siddique's Aadhaar number, PAN card, GST number, and even the family company's letterhead. These were then used via a spoofed email ID to submit a fraudulent request to the mobile company to be listed as the new authorised signatory on Siddique's number.

(From left) Zeeshan Siddique with his father Baba at Vidhan Bhavan in 2023. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

"My family is being constantly targeted. My father was assassinated because he stood up for the poor and destitute. Now someone is trying to take control of his phone number. The police must find out who's behind this," Arshia told mid-day. The complainant has requested Mumbai police to analyse call data records (CDRs) of the mobile number listed in the spoofed email and cross-check for any connections to the alleged assassins.

How matter came to light

The incident came to light early on June 25, when Shehzeen received an unexpected email from the customer service team of the mobile service provider. The email stated that a request had been received for an authorised signatory update and - crucially - CC'd Shehzeen Siddique's real email ID, revealing that a spoofed account had initiated the request. A source close to the Siddique family said, "The request email came from a fake ID, but when the telecom company replied, it also included Shehzeen Siddique's original email address. That's how Arshia got to know."

Excerpts of email

"As we received this request from a non-registered email ID, please allow us 96 hours to update the authorised signatory details. This is an interim update. Final confirmation will be provided once details are updated in our system." Sources close to the family said that the motive could run deeper than mere cyber fraud.

Larger conspiracy?

"Baba Siddique's political and real estate dealings may have made him enemies. Was this just a hack - or is someone still tracking the family?" asked a family acquaintance.

"Why hasn't alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi - suspected to be involved in Siddique's killing - been brought to Mumbai for questioning yet? Where are the key conspirators - Zeeshan Akhtar, Shubham Lonkar, and Anmol Bishnoi? Why have they not been brought to Mumbai till date?" he added. "Are the men involved in this cyber intrusion linked to the above key conspirators? We all deserve to know these, but the police have not given any response till now," the source added.

Baba Siddique, a prominent political leader known for his influence in Mumbai's power corridors and for his philanthropic work, especially in supporting underprivileged communities, was killed last year in Bandra East.

The conspirators

Subsequently, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police arrested 26 men, including the shooters of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The accused include Gurmel Baljit Singh, Dharmaraj Radhe Kashyap, Pravin Rameshwar Lonkar, Harishkumar Balakram Kashyap, Nitin Gautam Sapre, among others.

Police action and legal details

The Bandra police have registered an FIR under these BNS sections:

319(2)
Cheating by personation

62
Attempt to commit offences punishable with imprisonment

335
Making a false document

336(2) & 336(3)
Forgery

340(2)
Using forged electronic records as genuine. Most police officers at Bandra station remained tight-lipped, but sources confirmed that a digital trail is being actively investigated.