Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Cops Spend 25 Days in Bahraich to Capture the Suspect

Mumbai, 11th November 2024: After Shiv Kumar Gautam, also known as Shiva, managed to escape following a shooting incident involving Baba Siddique, two individuals were arrested, and a team of four police officers was assigned to track him down.

The officers, including Assistant Inspector Amol Mali, Sub Inspector Swapnil Kale, and constables Vikas Chavan and Mangesh Sawant, spent nearly 25 days in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, amid communal violence, which complicated their efforts.

However, on Thursday, the officers felt they had gathered enough information to make progress, and a 21-member team from the crime branch was dispatched to support them. The team eventually captured Shiva on Sunday.

DCP Datta Nalawade explained that Shiva had been avoiding communication through mobile phones, leaving no direct leads. The team of four police officers went to Shiva’s village in Bahraich, attempting to identify those closest to him to track his movements.

“Complicating matters was the ongoing communal violence in Bahraich, which at times led to mobile network shutdowns. Despite this, we stayed on and worked to identify his inner circle and those who supported him during the unrest,” one officer remarked.

Through diligent investigation, the officers compiled a list of 45 possible associates, narrowing it down to four individuals—Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Shrivastava, and Akhilendra Singh—all from Bahraich. The police suspected they were in contact with Shiva and began monitoring their activities.

In recent days, the officers observed these four individuals travelling to a nearby village on two bikes, raising suspicions. They contacted the crime branch, and a team of 21 officers joined the investigation. On Saturday, the four were detained at their homes, and it was discovered that they were bringing food and clothes to Shiva.

The group led the police to a remote village in a forest area where Shiva had been hiding. However, when the police arrived, he was not present in the hut. The officers set up camp for eight hours, and when Shiva returned, they made the arrest.

Joint Commissioner (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam praised the dedication of the four officers, saying, “Thanks to their perseverance, even during festivals, we were able to track down the accused.”