Shivakumar Gautam, a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and a suspected main shooter in the recent murder of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, has reportedly informed Mumbai Police that the gang had discussed plans to target Aftab Poonawala, the accused in the chilling Shraddha Walkar murder case.
According to The Times of India, Gautam, known as ‘Shiva’, revealed that fellow gang members, including Shubham Lonkar and other senior figures, had expressed interest in targeting Poonawala, who is facing serious charges related to the gruesome murder of his live-in partner, Shraddha Walkar.
A senior official from the Mumbai Police was quoted by The Times of India as saying, “Shiva disclosed that Shubham Lonkar, a member of the gang, and other senior figures had expressed intentions to target Aftab. This intelligence has now been shared with the Delhi Police.”
The gang ultimately refrained from taking any action against Poonawala, citing the heightened security surrounding him.
The revelation comes as Poonawala, who is accused of murdering Walkar in May 2022, is facing trial in Delhi. The crime, which shocked the nation, saw Walkar allegedly strangled to death by Poonawala, her live-in partner. After the murder, Poonawala reportedly dismembered her body into 35 pieces, storing them in a refrigerator. Over the course of 18 days, he scattered the body parts across various locations in Delhi.
Walkar and Poonawala had moved from Bengaluru to Delhi, where they had become estranged from Shraddha’s family due to their disapproval of the relationship. The grisly details of the murder case have horrified many across the country, prompting widespread media coverage.
In January 2023, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet of over 6,600 pages in the case, leading to the framing of charges against Poonawala for murder and the disappearance of the body.
