North News
Chandigarh, November 11
Lawrence Bishnoi, a 33-year-old law graduate from Panjab University and a product of convent schooling, has emerged as an “international don” who operates his gang with an unconventional approach—one that mirrors corporate strategy. Bishnoi reportedly believes that managing his operations like a business enterprise motivates his associates, helps build team skills, and expands his network on both national and international levels. Though confined behind bars, Lawrence Bishnoi’s reach and reputation remain expansive, embodying the chilling intersection of crime and digital savvy in the 21st-century underworld.
Public relations has become a pivotal tool for Bishnoi, who dedicates significant effort to cultivating his image—a strategy reminiscent of savvy conglomerates. Like a seasoned CEO in a high-stakes market, the success of a modern crime leader depends on anticipating threats and strategically outmaneuvering law enforcement. Bishnoi, currently detained in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, has executed the classic mafia blueprint with precision, establishing an extensive network from the ground up. His operations reveal a structured approach to expanding a diversified portfolio—an empire, not unlike a business, with investments spread across various regions and sectors.
Bishnoi’s criminal network has drawn global attention following several high-profile incidents. In October, his gang claimed responsibility for the killing of realtor-politician Baba Siddique, a figure closely associated with Bollywood star Salman Khan. The Canadian government also accused Bishnoi of being involved in the alleged assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in June 2023.
He is additionally implicated in several cases linked to death threats against Khan and a 2022 shooting near Khan’s residence. Currently held in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, Bishnoi is accused of masterminding the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and the 2023 murder of Karni Sena leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. These violent acts have reportedly bolstered his notoriety and “brand value” within the underworld, allowing him and his gang to demand higher ransoms and extortion fees.
The investigating officials revealed that Bishnoi has leveraged social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, using them not only to communicate his message to the public but also to coordinate gang operations and recruit new members.
Investigating agencies say Bishnoi, now a prominent figure within the Bishnoi community, aims to dominate the Mumbai underworld, potentially positioning himself as a successor to figures like Dawood Ibrahim. Bishnoi’s perceived influence in Bollywood and politics, coupled with his high-tech communication tactics, has set him apart from traditional crime bosses. Bishnoi’s operations have even reached mainstream media. While incarcerated, he managed to conduct two interviews with national news channel, casting himself as a strategic leader and effective communicator despite facing serious criminal charges. Bishnoi maintains that his entry into the underworld was circumstantial, driven by a desire to combat injustices. He has stated that he specifically targets those he deems responsible for ethical violations, such as figures in the liquor industry.
Senior police and intelligence officials stated that Bishnoi, charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since November 2022, is frequently compared to the notorious Dawood Ibrahim due to his expansionist ambitions and global network.
Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Punjab Police, and the Delhi Police’s Special Cell have revealed Lawrence Bishnoi’s extensive crime network, which includes 700 members with 300 active in Punjab. His gang operates far beyond India’s borders, maintaining cells in Canada, UK, US, Europe, Middle East, Thailand, Dubai, Philippines, Pakistan, Germany, and Italy—an international reach rarely seen among Indian crime groups.
With 84 cases against him nationwide, Punjab Police further estimates over 2,500 known hideouts associated with his gang across the state. Bishnoi’s vast network has made him a formidable figure, underscoring the challenges for law enforcement as they work to curb his far-reaching criminal enterprise. His long-standing feud with Salman Khan stems from Khan’s 1998 blackbuck poaching case. Bishnoi, who belongs to a community that reveres the blackbuck, demands an apology from Khan in a sacred Bishnoi temple to make amends.
Despite the stringent measures against him, Bishnoi’s image continues to be glorified. E-commerce platforms were recently found selling T-shirts bearing his likeness, prompting Maharashtra cyber police to file an FIR against online retailers. Bishnoi’s imprisonment under strict conditions in Gujarat has not quelled his influence.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has enforced his confinement under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), barring his transfer to other states and restricting his interaction with outsiders. This isolation order, which prevents him from attending court hearings and limits questioning to jail premises, is set to last until 2025.
In a high-stakes investigation, police have uncovered that Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang used Instagram and Snapchat to coordinate the murder of Mumbai realtor-politician Baba Siddique, an ally of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Led by Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, Bishnoi’s operatives conducted multiple reconnaissance missions using cars and bikes to track Siddique’s movements through Bandra. With handlers relaying orders while Bishnoi oversaw strategy, this operation displayed the meticulous coordination that has become the gang’s hallmark.
Unlike many crime bosses, Bishnoi hails from a prosperous family in Punjab’s Fazilka district. Born on February 12, 1992, Bishnoi—whose real name is Balkaran Brar—grew up with privilege. His family, which owns 110 acres of land, ensured he rode a motorcycle to school and later a Bolero SUV when he moved to Chandigarh for college. His father, Lavinder Bishnoi, a former constable in the Punjab Police, and his mother, Sunita, who had dreams of a bright future for her son, named him Lawrence after the British officer who established Lawrence School, Sanawar, inspired by her son’s unusually fair complexion.
From an early age, Bishnoi’s life seemed marked by contrasts—rooted in privilege yet veering into violence. Friends from his convent school in Abohar recall a young Lawrence infatuated with a classmate, with whom he would later reconnect at DAV College, Chandigarh. But his college years took a sharp turn: as a student politician with the Student Organisation of Punjab University (SOPU), Bishnoi lost the student union presidency, an event that reportedly spurred him into a life of crime.
Fueled by anger, he procured a revolver and began using intimidation to make his mark in student politics. Violence soon followed Bishnoi’s rise in student politics. After a brutal feud in 2011 with a rival group, tragedy struck when his girlfriend was allegedly targeted and burnt alive in a suspected act of revenge. Driven by grief and anger, Bishnoi began plotting revenge against rival student leaders, escalating his journey into crime.
His brush with the law began in earnest when he was charged with attempted murder in 2008 after using a friend’s licensed pistol to threaten a political opponent. During his brief imprisonment, Bishnoi reportedly forged alliances with hardened criminals, setting the stage for his transformation from student leader to crime boss.
Throughout his ascent, Bishnoi has clung to an unusual grudge: a personal vendetta against Salman Khan. Aged just five when the blackbuck poaching case made headlines in 1998, Bishnoi has carried the memory of this affront to his community into his adult years. Khan’s alleged involvement in the killing of two blackbucks, animals sacred to the Bishnoi community, has fueled Bishnoi’s resolve to seek vengeance.
In an interview with a national news channel while in jail, he openly declared his intention to kill Khan unless the actor apologizes at a Bishnoi temple. Now, Bishnoi’s influence reaches beyond India. His network came into the international spotlight with Siddique’s assassination, which some believe was ordered as a warning to anyone seen as supporting Khan or the Dawood gang. Soon after, a Facebook post circulated stating, “Jo Salman Khan aur Dawood gang ki help karega apna hisab-kitab laga ke rakhna”—a threat aimed squarely at Khan’s allies and adding to Bishnoi’s underworld persona. Bishnoi’s grip on his network continues even behind bars, utilizing digital platforms to relay messages and recruit members. His legacy, however dark, is deeply rooted in the modern age, where social media and tech-savvy operations add a new dimension to the criminal empire he’s building—one that straddles the old underworld tactics and the modern world’s digital sophistication.
