 "How Mumbai Police captured key accused in Baba Siddique murder in 25 days")
Mumbai Police, in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force (STF), arrested the main suspect in the high-profile murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique on Sunday, ending a nearly month-long pursuit.
The accused, identified as Shivkumar, along with four of his alleged supporters, was captured in Nanpara, a remote area in Bahraich district near the India-Nepal border. Authorities revealed that Shivkumar had been planning to escape into Nepal.
The murder, which shocked Maharashtra, occurred on October 12, when 66-year-old Siddique was shot twice in the chest outside his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s, office in Mumbai’s Bandra East. Despite efforts to save him, Siddique succumbed to his injuries at Lilavati Hospital.
Following the incident, two accomplices were swiftly apprehended, while Shivkumar managed to evade capture, fleeing to Uttar Pradesh.
In response, Mumbai Police deployed a dedicated team of four officers – Assistant Inspector Amol Mali, Sub Inspector Swapnil Kale, and Constables Vikas Chavan and Mangesh Sawant – to locate and capture Shivkumar. Here’s how they managed the high-stakes operation.
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25 days undercover in Bahraich
According to a report by The Indian Express, for nearly 25 days, the officers operated undercover in Bahraich. After extensive investigation, the officers compiled a list of 45 individuals, eventually narrowing it down to four associates: Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Shrivastava, and Akhilendra Singh, all residents of Bahraich.
“Amid the local tensions, it was critical to identify individuals Shivkumar might turn to for support,” an official involved in the operations told the newspaper.
Bahraich is an area grappling with ongoing communal tensions that added further complications to the investigation, such as frequent network disruptions. Despite these obstacles, the officers gathered intelligence on Shivkumar’s close associates and support network.
Tracking the four over the past few days, the officers observed them travelling to a nearby village on motorcycles, which raised suspicions among the police. Mumbai’s crime branch was then alerted, deploying an additional 21 officers to assist in the operation.
Shivkumar arrested after 8-hour stakeout
On Saturday, police detained the four associates at their homes and discovered they were delivering clothes and food supplies to Shivkumar. The information led the officers to a secluded forest hamlet where Shivkumar was believed to be hiding. After waiting for nearly eight hours, the team apprehended him when he returned to the hideout.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam praised the commitment of the officers involved, particularly the initial team of four who conducted surveillance through local challenges, even staying in Bahraich during festival season.