Baba Siddique shooter, a scrap dealer, wanted to fund siblings’ education

LUCKNOW: Scrap dealer Shiv Kumar Gautam, 22, identified as the main accused in the Baba Siddiqui murder case, revealed to investigators that he was driven by the need to earn quick money to support his family.

He has no previous criminal record, at least in Uttar Pradesh. The UP Special Task Force (STF) said that Shiv wanted funds for the education of his two younger brothers aged 7 and 11, and for the weddings of his two sisters aged 15 and 16. His father, Baal Kishun, is a farmer.

Also read: 'Baba Siddique shooter was in touch with handlers while in hiding'

Interrogations revealed that Shiv, eager to support his family financially, had travelled to Pune nearly four years ago for work.

About two months ago, he reconnected with Dharmraj Kashyap, a fellow scrap dealer from his village. Dharmraj, arrested on the day of Siddiqui's murder, introduced Shiv to the inner circle of Lawrence Bishnoi's gang through Shubham Lonkar.

Through Snapchat, Shiv connected with Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence's brother, who promised him Rs 10 lakh for killing Siddiqui.

Also read: Baba Siddique murder case: Shooter, four others arrested from UP

According to officials, Shiv learned to use the 9mm Glock pistol, provided by the Bishnoi gang, by watching videos on YouTube, honing his skills as a sharpshooter.

The STF official said, "Shiv was well-trained; his shots were precise and controlled." Hence, he was chosen as the main shooter while Dharmraj and Gurmail Singh were in support.

For nearly two months, Shiv, along with Dharmraj and Gurmail, conducted surveillance on Siddiqui. The entire operation was coordinated through Instagram with the conspirators.

On the fateful night, Shiv fired six rounds at Siddiqui, three of which struck the target. He fled the scene, leaving the pistol behind, said STF based on the interrogation with Shiv.

Police reported that the gang had meticulously planned every detail, even supplying Shiv with two sets of SIM cards and mobile phones—one for use before and another after the crime. Shiv was paid Rs 25,000 in advance for the task.

After the murder, Shiv began a journey to evade capture, first travelling to Jhansi, then to Delhi, and eventually Himachal Pradesh. His final plan, arranged with the help of his associates Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh, was to escape to Shamsherganj in Nepal before he was intercepted and arrested by the STF.



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