Man arrested for 12-year-old’s murder in Wadala confesses to two more killings

Mumbai: A 39-year-old man, arrested in Delhi’s Garstin Bastion Road for the murder of a 12-year-old boy in Mumbai’s Wadala area, has confessed to killing two more people, including a friend and another minor boy, according to police officials.
The Wadala TT police stated that the accused, Bipul Shikari, had been on the run since killing the 12-year-old, who had been missing since January. The child’s mutilated body was discovered on 4 March. Shikari was apprehended by Delhi police on 21 August based on information provided by Mumbai authorities.
“He killed the minor boy because the child had threatened to tell his mother everything. Shikari had sexually assaulted the minor,” a police officer said.
The accused has allegedly admitted to murdering another friend, Raju Mandal from Kolkata, in Mumbai. “Mandal had threatened to inform the police that Shikari had killed his wife in Kolkata and was convicted for it. Shikari had jumped COVID bail and had not surrendered since. He pushed Mandal from a bridge, stabbed him multiple times, and dumped his body in nearby marshland,” the officer explained.
In a separate incident, Shikari reportedly had an altercation with another minor boy who stole iron rods that Shikari himself had purloined from an under-construction site. “Shikari drowned and killed the boy, dumping his body in the Wadala area,” the officer added.
According to police sources, Shikari was previously associated with a local gang in Kolkata. After his boss was killed in a police encounter, he began working as a pimp in red-light districts. “He met his wife there and later killed her. He was arrested and convicted for the murder but jumped COVID bail and had been on the run since. These murders were committed during this time. We are verifying his statements and checking if missing person reports were filed for Mandal and the minor boys,” the officer said.
Authorities are now focusing on locating the areas where Shikari allegedly disposed of the bodies. “We’re searching for any clues at these sites,” the officer noted.
DCP Prashant Kadam of Wadala division stated, “We want to fast-track the case and appoint a special public prosecutor, as Shikari is a hardened criminal. We will leverage his previous conviction to seek maximum punishment.”