Mumbai, Oct 18 (IANS): The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested five more persons in connection with the killing of ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and businessman Baba Ziauddin Siddique in Bandra on October 12, officials said on Friday.

With this, the total number of suspects arrested has gone up to nine.

The arrests were made after raids were carried out in Karjat and Panvel towns in the adjoining Raigad district where the five suspects were holed up, evading the law-enforcing authorities.

They are identified as Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi, 43 of Panvel town, Ram Kanojia, 44, Pradeep Thombre, 37, Chetan Pardhi (all from Ambernath town in Thane), and Nitin Sapre, 32, from Dombivali in Thane.

Charged with hatching a conspiracy and other offences, they were produced before the Esplanade court in Mumbai this evening and it sent them to police custody till October 25.

Mumbai Police's Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Lakhmi Gautam told media persons later that Sapre was in contact with the main conspirators who had supplied the weapons for Siddique’s sensational killing.

Certain financial dealings were also made after which three pistols were provided to the killers for the daring operation executed on Dassehra Day at Nirmal Nagar in Bandra East. Moreover, the five arrested accused are also suspected to have connections with the dreaded Lawrence Bishnoi gang which has claimed credit for killing Siddique. The police said that investigations have revealed the role of the five accused in the Siddique murder as their mobile numbers were found in the seized phones of the other prime accused, who were arrested earlier in Mumbai.

Arguing against the police remand, the accused’s lawyer Sheela Gupta denied all the allegations, contending they are ordinary labourers who were picked up on grounds of suspicion and hence should be sent to judicial custody. However, the Magistrate rejected the plea and sent all the accused to police custody for a week.