Shiv Kumar Gautam, the main accused and one of the three shooters in the Baba Siddique murder case, was arrested today in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. Sources say he was attempting to flee to Nepal. Four others—Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh—have also been arrested for providing shelter to Shiv Kumar and assisting him in his escape to Nepal.
Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three gunmen in Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12. Earlier, 20 individuals, including the other two shooters, were arrested in connection with the case.
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Shiv Kumar, who had been on the run since the murder of the NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister last month, was caught in a joint operation by Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai police from the Nanpara area of Bahraich. According to the police, Shiv Kumar is one of the three shooters and was also in contact with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, with all instructions routed through him. Police sources said that during interrogation, Shiv Kumar admitted his connection to the gang and revealed that the murder was carried out on the orders of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is believed to be residing in Canada.
Anmol Bishnoi’s name has also been linked to the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala and the shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence in April. He is on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has announced a ₹10 lakh reward for his arrest.
During his interrogation, Shiv Kumar allegedly stated that they had spent days in Mumbai conducting reconnaissance on Baba Siddique. On the night of October 12, “When we got the right time, we killed Baba Siddiqui.” He noted that it was a festival day, and the road was crowded, causing two of the attackers to get caught while Shiv Kumar managed to escape. “I threw out the phone on the way and went from Mumbai to Pune. From Pune, I reached Bahraich via Jhansi and Lucknow,” he was quoted as saying by sources.
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Shiv Kumar also revealed that when he asked a passenger on the train for a phone, he contacted Anurag Kashyap, who informed him that “Avindra, Gyan Prakash, and Akash have made arrangements for me to hide in Nepal. That is why I came to Bahraich and was trying to escape to Nepal along with my companions,” sources quoted him as saying.
After the murder of Baba Siddique, Shiv Kumar was supposed to go to Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh to meet some henchmen of the gang. The Mumbai police had traced him to Omkareshwar but were unable to capture him.
Baba Siddique’s murder is believed to be linked to his close relationship with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Associates of the Bishnoi gang have suggested that the animosity towards Salman Khan stems from the blackbucks he killed 20 years ago, as blackbucks are sacred to the Bishnoi community. Investigators have also said that Baba Siddique’s son, Mumbai MLA Zeeshan Siddique, is a target for the same reason. His photo was found on a mobile phone seized from one of the shooters involved in his father’s murder.
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