Shahbaz Ansari, key accused in Sidhu Moosewala case, goes missing after bail on wife's fake surgery plea
PTC Web Desk: More than two years after breaching a crucial interim bail condition, which led to the rejection of his extension plea, a prime accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala has once again secured bail—only to vanish soon after. The accused, Shahbaz Ansari from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, has now become untraceable, raising serious concerns for investigating authorities.
Ansari, arrested in December 2022 for allegedly supplying arms to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi—believed to be the mastermind behind Moosewala’s killing in May 2022—was granted interim bail for a month on June 18, 2025, by a Vacation Bench at Delhi’s Patiala House Court. He had sought bail on humanitarian grounds, claiming his wife, Gulfisha, required spinal decompression surgery at MMG Hospital in Ghaziabad.
According to court records, Ansari was ordered to submit his mobile number to the Investigating Officer and report his whereabouts weekly until his scheduled surrender on July 18. However, just days later, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is leading the probe, found the mobile number switched off and his location untraceable.
Further investigation revealed that the mobile number was registered under a resident of Assam. Additionally, the person who provided bail surety for Ansari—Shivam Sharma—confessed he was paid Rs 1 lakh to open a fixed deposit and appear in court, admitting he had no knowledge of Ansari’s real identity.
The NIA approached the court through Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi and advocate Jatin, urging bail cancellation, which was granted on July 8. Despite being served a court notice, Ansari failed to appear, and his lawyer claimed ignorance about his whereabouts.
Ansari had earlier violated bail conditions. In February 2023, he was granted a five-day interim bail citing his wife’s pregnancy but failed to provide mandatory location details, resulting in a denial of his extension request. His subsequent bail pleas in October 2023 and January 2024—both citing his sister’s wedding—were also rejected after the NIA established the presence of other male family members and raised security concerns.
In the latest bail plea in June 2025, Ansari again cited medical reasons involving his wife’s surgery. But MMG Hospital informed the NIA that it does not perform spinal decompression surgeries. They also highlighted that no such surgery was medically required and flagged irregularities in the submitted medical documents, including tampering with whitener.
The NIA’s inquiry further revealed that the address provided for Gulfisha had been vacated nearly two weeks before the bail plea was made.
Described by the agency as a crucial member of the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate, Ansari is accused of arranging multiple arms deals and receiving large sums via hawala networks from Dubai. Several illegal firearms were recovered from him during his arrest.
- With inputs from agencies
