• Source:JND
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Baba Siddique Murder Probe:  The Mumbai Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act against all the 26 arrested accused in connection to the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, officials said on Saturday. The crime branch has so far arrayed twenty-six accused, including the main shooter Shiv Kumar Gautam.

The stringent provisions of MCOCA have been applied in the Baba Siddique murder case, according to a Mumbai Police official, who did not provide further details. Notably, under MCOCA, confessions made to the police are admissible as evidence in court, and bail becomes nearly impossible due to strict conditions.

Baba Siddique, popular NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead on October 12 outside the office of his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique. The incident took place when Siddique was about to leave the office during which three shooters opened indiscriminate fire at him. Out of three, two shooters were promptly arrested.

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Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been arrested in the US for his alleged involvement in Siddique's murder and the shooting outside actor Salman Khan's Mumbai residence. Meanwhile, key suspects Shubham Lonkar and Zishan Mohammad Akhtar remain at large.

What Is MCOCA

The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was introduced in 1999 to curb organized and underworld crimes. The law was later adopted by Delhi in 2002 and remains applicable in both Maharashtra and Delhi. MCOCA covers crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, murder or attempted murder, extortion, threats, and large-scale financial fraud linked to organized crime.

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Under MCOCA, police custody can be extended to 30 days compared to the 15-day limit under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).