Lawrence Bishnoi gang wanted Baba Siddique or son killed: Shooter confesses to police

Shiv Kumar Gautam, the primary suspect in the murder of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, claimed he was instructed to kill either the 66-year-old NCP leader or his MLA son, Zeeshan Siddique, whoever he comes across first, according to police sources.

News reports quoting the police said the 20-year-old was arrested on Sunday (November 10) along with four of his associates in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, while attempting to escape to Nepal.

Shiv Kumar was one of three shooters — alongwith Gurnail Singh from Haryana and Dhramraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh — who allegedly killed Siddique outside his son Zeeshan's office in Mumbai on October 12. While Singh and Kashyap were arrested shortly after the incident, Shiv Kumar had escaped.

'For god and society'

During questioning, Shiv Kumar told police that Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had instructed him to shoot the first person he saw. Before the murder, Anmol had reportedly brainwashed Shiv Kumar by saying the act was "for God and society."

Anmol is believed to be in Canada and listed as a 'wanted' person by the National Investigation Agency.

Mumbai police found a photograph of Zeeshan Siddique, aged 32, on a phone seized from one of the suspects.

Also Read: Baba Siddique murder | Main shooter has no criminal history: UP cops

After the killing, Shiv Kumar allegedly changed clothes to blend into the crowd and avoid detection. He also pretended to be a bystander and observed the chaos unfolding on the spot for a considerable period to avoid any suspicion.

Shiv Kumar initially fled to Kurla by auto-rickshaw, and then took a local train to Thane from where he later travelled to Pune. He discarded his phone along the way. He spent a week in Pune before heading to Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, then on to Lucknow, where he bought a new phone to reconnect with his contacts.

After a brief stay in Lucknow, he returned to Bahraich, where his associates provided him with a safe house in a nearby village.

Nabbed in Bahraich

Shiv Kumar reportedly considered fleeing to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and then to Vaishno Devi in Jammu before leaving the country.

Police tracked down 45 individuals, including Shiv Kumar’s family and close contacts, eventually narrowing down four key associates who had been in regular touch with him. A trap was set, and Shiv Kumar was captured in Bahraich’s Nanpara area in a joint operation between Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai police.

Also Read: Baba Siddique murder case: Shooter, 2 others arrested from UP

Among those arrested for assisting Shiv Kumar in his escape plans were Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh. To date, a total of 20 arrests have been made in the case.

The murder appears connected to Baba Siddique’s close ties with actor Salman Khan.

Lawrence Bishnoi’s associates suggested that the motive may be tied to the blackbucks Khan killed decades ago, as these animals are sacred to the Bishnoi community.