Shiv Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was caught in a joint operarion.
The main shooter in the Baba Siddique murder case has reportedly told the cops that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was brainwashed and told false stories about Baba Siddique to instigate him into killing the political leader on October 12.
Shiv Kumar Gautam shot Baba Siddique point blank on Dusshera last month. He was arrested a month later while trying to flee to Nepal. Gurnail Singh, a resident of Haryana, and Dhramraj Kashyap of Uttar Pradesh, the other two accused were arrested right after the killing, the hunt for Gautam continued for a month.
Shiv Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was caught in a joint operation by the police officials of Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai from the Nanpara area of Bahraich.
'The Confession'
Sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch told NDTV that Gautam told them that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang fooled him into committing the crime. Shubham Lonkar, an accused who is on the run, showed Gautam pictures of gangster terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and told him that Baba Siddique has connections with Dawood Ibrahim and that the gangster is India's enemy.
According to sources, the police never found a connection between Baba Siddiqui and Dawood. Gautam was reportedly shocked to learn and told the cops that he was instigated to murder by telling a false story.
Sources said the Lawrence Bishnoi gang uses this modus operandi of instigating young men by luring them with money or eliminating the 'country's enemies'. The gang cooks up false stories to mislead them.
The Arrest
Earlier, police sources said Shiv Kumar has also admitted that he is linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The murder, he allegedly said, was carried out on the instructions of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Read more: How Cops Caught Main Accused In Baba Siddique's Murder After A Month
Anmol's name has also cropped up in the murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, and the firing outside actor Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai in April. He is on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency, and a Rs 10 lakh reward has been announced for his arrest.
Gautam earlier told the cops that after the firing, he stood outside the Lilavati Hospital - where the politician was taken - to ascertain if Mr Siddique died or survived the attack.
The shooter, who quickly changed his shirt after the firing, told the police that he stood outside the hospital for 30 minutes among the crowd. He left as soon he came to know that Mr Siddique's condition was very critical.