MUMBAI: Shiv Kumar, one of the assailants who shot dead former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, was nabbed from Nanpara, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh during a joint operation on Sunday led by the state’s special task force and a unit of the Mumbai crime branch.
They also arrested four individuals—Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh—for providing him shelter and helping his bid to flee the country.
With Shiva Kumar and the four people arrested on Sunday, the total number of people arrested in connection with the case has reached 23.
Siddique (66) was shot dead by three gunmen in Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12.
Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother Anmol, believed to be living in Canada, was allegedly behind the murder, but the motive remains unclear, police have said.
Gurmail Singh, a native of Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh along with Shiva Kumar were the other two who accompanied Shiva Kumar in murdering Siddique, who was shot dead in front of his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office.
“Shiv Kumar fired at Baba Siddiqui, while Dharmraj was carrying chili spray. However, before he could use it, Shiv had already opened fire. Three constables were present with Baba at the time but failed to do anything,” DCP crime branch Datta Nalawade said while speaking to reporters last month.
