(Web Desk) - Gautam Shivkumar was arrested in UP's Nanpara near the Nepal border while he was attempting to flee the country.
Mumbai Police have credited late-night phone calls and chats between a group of close friends for the arrest of Shivkumar Gautam, marking one of the biggest breakthroughs in the killing case linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Apart from him, four others—Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhilendra Pratap Singh were also held.
The investigation began after police noticed suspicious behaviour from Gautam’s friends. These men were seen buying clothes of various sizes and planning a trip to meet him in a remote forest about 10 kilometres from Nanpara.
Soon after the constant surveillance, it became clear that they were helping Gautam escape to Nepal, according to authorities.
The group had been in frequent contact with Gautam via internet calls made on mobile phones purchased in Lucknow.
Their late-night communications caught the attention of the authorities, prompting further surveillance.
Surveillance revealed that these men, who were tech-savvy, had bought clothes in preparation for Gautam’s flight. Police began to closely monitor their movements.
Throughout his travels, Gautam used the phones of fellow passengers to call his handlers.
He later checked the news, confirming that Siddique had died, and then headed to his hometown in Bahraich before reaching Nanpara, where he hid in a remote village near the Nepal border.
The police intercepted them on a bridge just outside Nanpara. The group was arrested, and their capture led police to Gautam's hideout in the remote village, where he was taken into custody.