Home / Crime and Justice / Sharpshooter's Murder: Police Hunt Helmeted Assailants
Sharpshooter's Murder: Police Hunt Helmeted Assailants
15 Feb
Summary
- Police detain three youths for questioning in connection with the murder.
- Assailants conducted a motorcycle recce before the daylight ambush.
- Victim's driver and security aide's absence deemed suspicious.
Shoaib Kidwai, an alleged sharpshooter linked to the late Mukhtar Ansari, was murdered in a daylight ambush on the Lucknow-Ayodhya highway on Friday. Barabanki police detained three youths from Lucknow for questioning, revealing that two helmeted individuals on a motorcycle had surveyed Kidwai's route before the attack.
Kidwai was shot multiple times while driving his car on the service lane. Investigators are analyzing CCTV footage that reportedly shows two helmeted youths on a motorcycle near Kidwai's vehicle around the time of the incident. Police are attempting to identify the motorcycle and its riders.
Further complicating the investigation is the unexplained absence of Kidwai's driver and personal security aide, who cited illness for not accompanying him. Their unusual absence on the day Kidwai, known to have disputes, traveled alone has raised suspicion, and they have been detained for interrogation.
The police have formed five teams to explore various angles, including Kidwai's past disputes and property-related conflicts, suspecting a deep-seated rivalry as the motive. Kidwai's elder brother arrived from London on Saturday, after which the funeral was held amid heavy police presence in his ancestral village.
