Baba Siddique murder: Main shooter Shiv’s other aides were arrested in Pocso case earlier this year

LUCKNOW: Among the five arrested in Baba Siddique murder case by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and Mumbai crime branch, four were earlier booked under a Pocso case for molesting a 15-year-old Lucknow girl.

The FIR was lodged on July 17 at Kaiserganj police station of Bahriach district, following which Anurag Kashyap, Akash Srivastava and Gyan Prakash Tripathi alias Omu alias Om Tripathi were arrested, while Akhilendra Pratap Singh, who had been absconding, later brought a High Court stay order on his arrest.

On Sunday, UP STF said that they arrested Anurag Kashyap, Akash Srivastava, Gyan Prakash Tripathi and Akhilendra Pratap Singh for making arrangements to help Shiv Kumar Guatam flee to Nepal. All five were arrested from Nanpara police limits near Nepal border.

The uncle of the teenage victim told TOI, “My niece lives in Lucknow’s Khuram Nagar. She had come to Bahraich’s Gandara to her maternal grandparents. On the day of Muharram, she was standing along the road and witnessing the procession, when Akhilendra, Anurag, Akasha and Omu Tripathi molested her publicly. They touched her inappropriately and when the girl confronted, they misbehaved with her as well as with other local residents who came to the rescue of the girl.”

The three accused came out on bail after two weeks in jail, but Akhilendra remained absconding and later got stay from HC on his arrest.

According to an official source, “On November 1, Akash, Akhilendra and Anurag were brought to police station, after they were once again seen creating ruckus in Gandara market, and were later released on a Rs 20 lakh bond surety.”