A phone call between 4 friends led to arrest of Baba Siddique's shooter. Here's how

Mumbai Police have credited late-night phone calls and chats between a group of close friends for the arrest of Shivkumar Gautam, the main shooter in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, marking one of the biggest breakthroughs in the killing case linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Gautam was arrested on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh's Nanpara area, near the Nepal border while he was attempting to flee the country.

Apart from him, four others—Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhilendra Pratap Singh were also held by the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF).

How a phone call led to Baba Siddique's alleged shooter's arrest

The investigation began after police noticed suspicious behaviour from Gautam’s friends. These men were seen buying clothes of various sizes and planning a trip to meet him in a remote forest about 10 kilometres from Nanpara.

Soon after the constant surveillance, it became clear that they were helping Gautam escape to Nepal, according to authorities.

The group had been in frequent contact with Gautam via internet calls made on mobile phones purchased in Lucknow. Their late-night communications caught the attention of the authorities, prompting further surveillance.

Surveillance revealed that these men, who were tech-savvy, had bought clothes in preparation for Gautam’s flight. Police began to closely monitor their movements.

Who is Gautam Shivkumar

Gautam Shivkumar allegedly shot NCP leader Baba Siddique at close range on the night of October 12 in Mumbai. The shooter initially fled the scene and travelled to Kurla, where he boarded a local train to Thane.

During the journey, he discarded his bag and phone, authorities said.

He then arrived in Pune on October 13, before boarding a train to Lucknow.

Throughout his travels, Gautam used the phones of fellow passengers to call his handlers. He later checked the news, confirming that Siddique had died, and then headed to his hometown in Bahraich before reaching Nanpara, where he hid in a remote village near the Nepal border.

The dramatic arrest of Baba Siddique's shooter

A few days before the arrest, Gautam's four friends had bought multiple sets of clothes of different sizes from a shop in Nanpara. On Sunday, they set out on motorcycles to meet Gautam.

The police intercepted them on a bridge just outside Nanpara. The group was arrested, and their capture led police to Gautam's hideout in the remote village, where he was taken into custody.

Gautam has been remanded in police custody on Monday until November 19. Authorities are continuing to investigate the financial transactions and procurement of firearms linked to the crime.