With 700-strong ‘roster’, Lawrence Bishnoi calling shots with impunity from Gujarat jail

Incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi (31), alias Balkaran Barar, was all of five when the infamous blackbuck poaching case involving Bollywood star Salman Khan took place in 1998 during the filming of "Hum Saath-Saath Hain" in Rajasthan, irking the Bishnoi community which revers the animal.

Twenty-six years down the line, the notorious gangster's deep resentment against Salman even while in prison continues to make headlines, especially after the gunning down of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique (66), known to be close to the Bollywood actor, by three assailants in Mumbai last week.

The Mumbai police suspect Siddique was killed at the behest of Bishnoi after a purported Facebook post surfaced claiming "whoever helps Salman and the Dawood gang, keep your accounts in order". The comments were posted by one Shubuu Lonkar, whom the police suspect to be Bishnoi gang aide Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar.

A senior Delhi Police officer said the intent of the Bishnoi gang had now gone beyond taking revenge against Salman. "The gang is now trying to penetrate Bollywood, an area once ruled by Dawood Ibrahim, and set up its own D-Company," the officer said.

Despite being lodged in prison, Bishnoi has allegedly managed to execute murders of many high-profile people, including Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in 2023, besides orchestrating firing outside the residences of singers AP Dhillon and Gippy Garewal in Canada, the officer said.

The gang also claimed responsibility for the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Sukha Duneke in September 2023. According to the police, the animosity between Bishnoi and Salman first became public in 2018, when Bishnoi threatened to kill the actor during a court appearance in Jodhpur. As per Delhi Police records, Bishnoi himself never killed anyone yet he has become one of the most dreaded gangsters, running the gang with "impunity" from a Gujarat prison.

According to the NIA, Bishnoi now enjoys a 700-member strong gang spread across the country with the help of other notorious gangsters such as Goldy Brar.

Can finish his nexus in 24 hrs: Pappu Yadav

• Bihar MP Pappu Yadav said if “law permits he can finish off Bishnoi’s network in 24 hours”
• The MP called Gopalganj-born Siddiqui “a son of Bihar” and trained his guns at the NDA
• “A criminal sitting in jail gets people killed at will and all remain mute spectators,” Yadav said in a post on X