Baba Siddiqui Murder Case: the Mumbai Police, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), on Sunday arrested wanted shooter Shivkumar in connection with the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) politician Baba Siddique. The operation, conducted in Nanpara, Bahraich district, also resulted in the arrest of four individuals accused of providing protection to Shivkumar, according to an official.
Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister aged 66, was shot dead on 12 October by three assailants outside the office building of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East, Mumbai. Siddique suffered two bullet injuries to the chest and was immediately rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
While a Mumbai Crime Branch official confirmed the arrest of three individuals, Shivkumar and his protectors, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order and STF) of UP Police, Amitabh Yash, stated, “The STF and the Mumbai Crime Branch today (Sunday) arrested the shooter Shivkumar and his four protectors from Nanpara in Bahraich district.” He also revealed that Shivkumar was attempting to escape to Nepal when apprehended, news agency PTI reported.
The four others arrested for sheltering and aiding Shivkumar’s escape have been identified as Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhilendra Pratap Singh, Yash added.
ALSO READ | 'Will Kill You Like Baba Siddiqui': Yogi Adityanath Gets Death Threat; 24-Year-Old Woman Arrested
Baba Siddiqui Case: Shooter Shivkumar Divulges Details Of Murder Plot And His Escape From Mumbai
Mumbai Police had earlier indicated that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother, Anmol, who is believed to be residing in Canada, was allegedly involved in orchestrating the murder, though the motive remains unclear. Following confirmation of the accused’s whereabouts, a joint operation involving 21 police officers and Mumbai Crime Branch personnel was launched.
The arrested individuals are being transported to Mumbai. Notably, a senior UP police officer stated that Shivkumar, alias Shiva Gautam (20), and Dharmaraj Kashyap (19), both hail from Gandara village in the Kaiserganj police station area of Bahraich district. According to Kaiserganj Circle Officer (CO) Anil Kumar Singh, Shivkumar had gone to Maharashtra a few years ago to work as a labourer and had later invited his neighbour, Dharmaraj Kashyap, to join him in April this year. Shivkumar’s father, Balkrishna, is a mason working as a daily wage labourer, PTI's report stated.
During police interrogation, Shivkumar disclosed that he worked at a scrap shop in Pune, which was adjacent to one operated by Shubham Lonkar. “Shubham Lonkar works for Lawrence Bishnoi. He made me talk to Lawrence Bishnoi's brother Anmol Bishnoi several times through Snapchat,” Shivkumar revealed, according to a UP STF statement. He further admitted that he was promised Rs 10 lakh for Siddique’s murder and regular payments thereafter.
Shivkumar also detailed the preparations for the murder, stating that Shubham Lonkar and Mohd. Yasin Akhtar supplied the weapons, cartridges, SIM cards, and a mobile phone. He explained, “After the murder, the three shooters were given new SIM and mobile phones to communicate.”
The recce of Baba Siddique had been ongoing for several days, Shivkumar disclosed. He recounted the events of 12 October, when he and his associates found an opportunity to strike amidst festival crowds and heightened police presence. “Because of the festival, there were police and a crowd of people due to which two people were caught on the spot and I escaped. I threw the phone on the way and went from Mumbai to Pune,” he said, as quoted by the report.
Elaborating on his escape, Shivkumar narrated how he travelled from Pune to Bahraich, using borrowed phones to stay in touch with his accomplices. “When I talked to Anurag Kashyap using a passenger's phone from the train, he said that Alinder, Gyan Prakash, and Aakaash have together made arrangements for you to hide in Nepal,” he added.
According to the statement issued by the UP STF, Shivkumar and his colleagues planned to flee to Nepal but were intercepted in time, as per PTI. Mumbai Police have reported that a total of 18 arrests have been made in the Siddique murder case as of 7 November.