As the investigation into the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique continues, the main shooter, Shiv Kumar Gautam, arrested on November 10 near the Nepal border just before escaping, has revealed that Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang has established sleeper cells along the border to facilitate shooters’ escapes.
Gautam informed the Mumbai crime branch that after committing crimes, the Bishnoi gang uses secret routes along the India-Nepal border to smuggle shooters across. The sleeper cells arrange stays, create fake identities and passports, and eventually help them flee abroad.
During questioning, Gautam disclosed that those arrested with him – Anurag Kashyap, Omi alias Gyanprakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhilendra Pratap Singh – are active members of the sleeper cell network. These members coordinated his stay and escape plan to Nepal. Gautam was arrested just 50 kilometers from the border.
Sources revealed that the gang specifically established this network to assist operatives fleeing to Nepal. The sleeper cells use their local contacts to facilitate crossings, arrange accommodations, and provide identity documents to establish the shooters as Nepalese citizens. This paves the way for obtaining passports and escaping abroad.
The network also involves Nepalese boys working with the gang. The sleeper cells operate across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, leveraging the 1,751 km-long India-Nepal border with its mountainous, forested, and riverine trails. Villages straddling the border serve as key operational hubs. Safe passage into Nepal is facilitated for Rs25,000-Rs30,000.
Gautam also revealed that the Bishnoi gang recruits minors or persons with no prior criminal records for these sleeper cells. These recruits lead inconspicuous lives until assigned tasks, ensuring they remain undetected.