On Saturday, 12th October, NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Baba Siddique was shot dead in Mumbai by three assailants allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Two of the assailants have been arrested by the police, who claimed during interrogation that they were linked to Bishnoi’s gang. The third assailant is on the run, and the police are looking for him. Notably, Lawrence Bishnoi’s name has surfaced in several high-profile crimes, including the murder case of controversial Punjab singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala.
Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?
Lawrence Bishnoi was born on 12th February 1993 in a village in Ferozepur, Punjab. His father was a police constable with the Haryana Police. Four years after Lawrence’s birth, his father left the police force in 1997 and took up farming. Bishnoi studied at a school in Abohar, a small town on the border of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, until the 12th grade. In 2010, he moved to Chandigarh and joined DAV College. In 2011, he joined the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council, where he met gangster Goldy Brar for the first time. Soon, they became involved in university politics. Lawrence completed his LLB from Panjab University. During his time at the university, he became involved in several criminal activities.
Criminal life of Lawrence Bishnoi
As of now, Bishnoi has over two dozen criminal cases registered against him, including murder and extortion. However, Lawrence has denied all the allegations. Between 2010 and 2012, Bishnoi entered and flourished in the criminal world. Several FIRs were registered against him for crimes, including attempted murder, trespassing, assault, and robbery in Chandigarh. Of the seven FIRs registered against him in Chandigarh, he was acquitted in four cases. Three cases are still under trial.
From 2012, Bishnoi has spent most of his time behind bars. During that time, he built alliances with other criminals. When he was out of prison, he met arms dealers and local criminals, increasing the number of his associates. In 2013, he shot dead the winning candidate of the Government College elections in Muktsar and a rival candidate in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation elections. He also ventured into liquor dealing and would provide shelter to murderers in his gang.
In 2014, he was involved in an armed encounter with the Rajasthan Police. He was arrested and sent to jail, where he allegedly plotted murders and witnessed executions. During this period, he came into contact with Jaswinder Singh, alias Rocky, a gangster-turned-politician. During his time with Rocky, he remained active in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Rocky was shot dead by gangster Jaipal Bhullar in 2016. Bhullar was also killed in 2020.
Bishnoi continued to build his associations and connections despite being in jail. During his time in Bharatpur jail, he operated a syndicate allegedly with the help of jail staff. In 2021, he was transferred to Tihar jail in Delhi in connection with a case registered against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Regardless of which jail he is in, Bishnoi has always found a way to communicate with his men outside prison. According to jail authorities, he uses VoIP calls to communicate with his associates. He even gave interviews to news channels while sitting in prison, which created a lot of controversy.
It is believed that there are over 700 members in Bishnoi’s gang with some of the top names living comfortably abroad.
Threats to Salman Khan
Bishnoi has been trying to assassinate actor Salman Khan for a very long time because of his involvement in the Black Buck hunting case. In 2018, it came to light that Sampath Nehra, an associate of Bishnoi, conducted a reconnaissance of Khan’s house and stated that he was asked to kill the actor. In a statement given during his transport to Jodhpur Court in Rajasthan for an extortion case hearing, Bishnoi said, “Salman Khan will be killed here in Jodhpur… Then, he will come to know about our real identity… Now, if the police want me to commit some major crime, I shall kill Salman Khan, and that too in Jodhpur.”
In June 2024, 4 men with links to Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who were planning to attack the actor’s car, were arrested by Navi Mumbai police. The arrested accused were identified as Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna and Rizwan Khan alias Javed Khan. The arrests came a month after the firing incident at Khan’s house. On 14th April, two assailants on motorcycles fired shots outside Khan’s residence at Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra area before fleeing.
Murder of Sidhu Moosewala
On 29th May 2022, Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in Mansa, Punjab. Gangster Goldy Brar took responsibility for the murder. At that time, Bishnoi was lodged in Tihar jail. Following the incident, the Delhi police took him into 5-day custody for investigation. Soon after Moosewala’s assassination, Bishnoi filed a plea in the Delhi High Court, stating that he feared for his life and might be killed in a fake encounter by the Punjab Police. He urged the court to direct Delhi police and Tihar jail authorities to ensure his safety and that he be properly handcuffed and shackled. Later, he withdrew his plea from the Delhi High Court and submitted a similar plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Murder of Khalistani terrorist Sukhdool Singh
In September 2021, gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for killing gangster Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke of the Davinder Bambiha gang in Canada. This was revealed by a Facebook post. Gangster Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha was killed in Canada by unknown gunmen. Sukhdool Singh was known as ‘Sukha Duneke’ and has been on a wanted list by India.
The message by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang alleged that Sukhdool Singh was behind the murders of Gurlal Brar and Vicky Middukhed, and conspired to kill other gang members. The gang warned that they would take revenge if anyone targets the group members, even if it takes time.
Murder of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi
Another high-profile murder in which his name surfaced was that of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, president of the Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena. He was killed in the living room of his house on 5th December 2023 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Three assailants, one of whom was killed in retaliatory firing, had tea with Gogamedi at his house.
In a CCTV video of the incident, the accused were seen sitting with him before opening fire. Five rounds were fired at Gogamedi at close range, and the bullet to the head killed him. One of Gogamedi’s security guards also sustained bullet injuries during the exchange of fire with the killers. Bishnoi’s gang member Rohit Godara claimed responsibility for the murder.
