Kaithal man held for Baba Siddique murder has criminal background: Police

Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kalia said the accused has a criminal background and there are three cases registered against him in Kaithal, including one for murder. He was arrested in 2019 and was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2023 and was allowed to walk out of Kaithal Jail.

During his time in prison, he became involved in a case after a cell phone was confiscated from him in 2022.

Gurmel was booked in early August for allegedly attacking a resident of Kaithal and is wanted in the same case, the SP said.

Meanwhile, the accused’s grandmother Phuli Devi told mediapersons in Kaithal that the family had disowned him 11 years ago and demanded exemplary punishment for him.

“His parents passed away. The family has disowned him for the last 11 years,” said the grandmother.

When asked about his occupation, his grandmother replied that Gurmel did not have a job and served four years in prison before being released on bail.

Mumbai Police have arrested two of the suspected culprits behind Siddique’s murder. Along with Gurmel Singh, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was also arrested. The third accused, Shiv Kumar, is absconding and efforts are on to trace him, police said.

The trio were charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder, as well as under the provisions of the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.