In a crucial revelation in the murder case of former MLA Baba Siddique, the main shooter, Shiv Kumar Gautam, shared key information during interrogation. Gautam disclosed that on October 12, after assassinating Baba Siddique, he returned to the crime scene and stood there. A moment came when police officers, searching for the murderer, approached him and asked if he had seen anyone fleeing. Remaining calm, Gautam replied that he hadn’t seen anyone.
Gautam further revealed that he stayed at the crime scene for about 20 minutes and observed his two associates, Dharamraj Kashyap and Gurmail Singh, being taken into police custody. A Crime Branch official mentioned that Gautam arrived at Lilavati Hospital around 10 p.m. on October 12. From there, he traveled to Kurla, boarded a local train at 10:47 p.m., and reached Thane. By early morning on October 13, at around 3 a.m., he reached Pune, from where he boarded an express train to Jhansi at 4 a.m. En route from Thane to Pune, Gautam disposed of his mobile phone, a key device in the murder conspiracy.
ShooterPracticedFiringinNaxaliteAreaofChhattisgarh
The Mumbai Crime Branch’s investigation has revealed that the mastermind, Shubham Lonkar, practiced firing an AK-47 in the Naxal-affected region of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. After reaching Jharkhand on July 29, Shubham, along with Rupesh and Gaurav, traveled to Ranchi and then to Bilaspur. The three stayed there for five days, during which Shubham practiced shooting for four days. Shubham had also instructed his associates to keep their visit to the area confidential.
PlantoTargetaMunicipalCouncillorinPune
Further revelations from the Mumbai Crime Branch suggest that Shubham Lonkar had planned to assassinate a prominent municipal councillor in Pune. Shubham reportedly discussed this plan with Rupesh Mohol and Gaurav Apune, instructing them to be ready for the task soon. The Crime Branch has forwarded this information to the Pune police for further action.