Shoaib Qidwai murder: Probe centres around digital footprints, CCTV trail

Investigators are probing the planned murder of Shoaib Qidwai using digital forensics, CCTV, and communications analysis to identify suspects.

Five days after the broad daylight murder of Shoaib Mahmood Qidwai alias Bobby, who was alleged to have been a close aide of the late mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, investigators are piecing together what senior police officials describe as a “highly synchronised operation” with digital footprints and CCTV trails forming the backbone of the probe.

Bobby was shot dead on February 13 at around 1:15 pm while driving alone from Lucknow to the Barabanki court complex. (For Representation)

Bobby was shot dead on February 13 at around 1:15 pm while driving alone from Lucknow to the Barabanki court complex. Unidentified assailants intercepted his vehicle on a busy highway stretch near Asaini turn and fired multiple rounds, killing him on the spot.

Vikas Chandra Tripathi, Barabanki additional superintendent of police, north, said the focus has now expanded beyond external criminal rivalry to examine whether there was prior knowledge of the victim’s movement. “We are analysing all communications before the incident. Certain calls made shortly before the attack are under scrutiny,” the cop said.

CDRs and tower dumps under analysis

According to senior officers privy to the probe, Qidwai had spoken to a person known to him minutes before the shooting. His call detail records (CDRs) are being matched with cell tower locations and CCTV timestamps to determine whether the assailants could have received real-time information about his route and timing.

Investigators are also examining tower dumps from the corridor where the attack occurred to identify suspicious or unfamiliar mobile numbers active during the time window of the crime. “We are mapping devices that appeared briefly in the area and then went inactive. That pattern is often seen in targeted attacks,” a senior officer said on condition of anonymity.

Police sources said technical teams are building a movement grid based on digital signals and camera footage to reconstruct the shooters’ trajectory—from approach to escape.

Vehicles flagged, teams dispatched

The ASP said CCTV footage has captured certain vehicles moving in proximity to Qidwai’s car before and after the attack. Multiple police teams have been sent to Lucknow and Sultanpur to trace the ownership and movement history of these vehicles.

At the district level, five teams — including surveillance and other units — are working alongside the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). Sources familiar with the development said the STF is closely examining two individuals, though officials declined to confirm any detentions or breakthroughs. “We are not ruling out reconnaissance. The selection of the location suggests the attackers were familiar with the terrain and exit routes,” a senior officer said.

Crime scene reconstruction likely

Senior officials confirmed that a scientific reconstruction of the crime scene is under consideration. The exercise would seek to recreate the shooters’ positioning, firing angle, timing and likely escape corridor. Ballistic experts are examining recovered cartridges of two calibres, including .32 and 9mm, to determine the type of weapons used and whether they match any previous criminal cases. “Reconstruction helps align physical evidence with human movement. It narrows down inconsistencies,” an officer involved in the forensic review said.

Inner circle questioned

Police have questioned around a dozen individuals, including Qidwai’s driver Khurshid and persons who had previously filed cases against him. Officials said criminal histories, financial transactions and recent communication patterns are being analysed to identify any conspiracy angle.

A senior official said while suspicion has shifted towards individuals in the victim’s proximity, there is “no conclusive evidence yet”. “We are examining whether the precision of the attack indicates insider input. That is a line of inquiry, not a conclusion,” the officer added.

Mounting pressure

The killing has drawn statewide attention and put law enforcement under scrutiny. Members of the Bar Association have reportedly demanded swift arrests. Officials maintain that all angles — organised crime rivalry, personal enmity and professional disputes — remain open. For now, investigators are relying on digital forensics, interrogation and surveillance analysis to fill in the critical gaps between the last phone call and the shooters’ disappearance.

“This was not random violence,” a senior police officer said. “It appears planned. Our task is to establish who planned it, how information flowed and who executed it.”