The murder of Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022 brought gangster Lawrence Bishnoi international attention. In 2024, the Bishnoi gang again made headlines, claiming responsibility for the assassination of veteran politician Baba Siddique in Mumbai. The 66-year-old NCP leader was shot outside his son’s Bandra East office by three attackers linked to the gang. Lawrence Bishnoi, their leader, is currently imprisoned in Sabarmati Jail, Gujarat, yet continues to wield influence and direct criminal activities from within his cell.
The Bishnoi gang is a sprawling network with operations extending across India and overseas, particularly in Canada, where Goldy Brar, a major associate, resides.
The gang’s reach covers several Indian states, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Despite Lawrence Bishnoi’s incarceration, the gang continues to flourish, engaging in extortion, murder, and arms trafficking. Their targets often include high-profile figures like Punjabi singers and prominent business owners.
Born in 1993 in Dhattaranwali village near Abohar, Punjab, Lawrence Bishnoi’s journey into crime began during his time at Panjab University in Chandigarh. There, he met Goldy Brar, who would later become a close associate and a leading figure in the gang.
Despite being behind bars, Bishnoi remains an active leader, using mobile phones smuggled into prisons to communicate with associates both in India and abroad. He relies on apps like Signal and Telegram, often using high-end VPNs to mask their activities. The gang’s connections extend to North America, where they collaborate with Khalistani separatists and terrorists. Bishnoi frequently communicates with his brother Anmol, Goldy Brar, and Rohit Godara, coordinating the gang’s expansive operations.
In India, the Bishnoi gang maintains a network of around 700 shooters. They recruit local gangsters who are tasked with hiring shooters, many of whom are poor and underage. These individuals receive arms training and hefty payments for carrying out contract killings or political assassinations ordered by the gang. Many shooters remain unaware of the identity of their employers, knowing only their target.
The gang functions like a corporate entity, similar to Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company. They have dedicated divisions for logistics, legal matters, and intelligence gathering, allowing them to maintain a structured and efficient operation.
Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang has been involved in numerous high-profile crimes, from extortion to high-level assassinations. Even while incarcerated, Bishnoi has been found operating his criminal empire from within maximum-security prisons, using contraband phones and loyal associates to execute his commands. Authorities previously discovered him coordinating operations from inside Bharatpur Jail, where he orchestrated extortion attempts and planned hits.
One of Bishnoi’s most audacious schemes involved a plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The plan stemmed from Khan’s involvement in the blackbuck hunting case, as the blackbuck holds sacred significance to the Bishnoi community. On April 14, two gunmen fired shots outside Khan’s Mumbai residence, leading to the arrest of several individuals. The Bishnoi gang allegedly placed a Rs. 25 lakh bounty on the actor’s life, with plans unfolding over several months, from August 2023 to April 2024.
Investigations revealed that the gang intended to acquire advanced firearms from Pakistan, including AK-47s, M16 rifles, and Turkish Zigana pistols—the same weapon used in Moose Wala’s assassination. The gang’s extensive network includes ties with other notorious criminals, such as Sandeep, alias Kala Jathedi, who was apprehended in 2021 by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the MCOCA.
