News Analysis India

Tag: Lawrence Bishnoi

  • Delhi Police Cracks Down On Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar Gang, Arrests 10 In Pan-India Ops |

    Nine offenders including one minor have been taken into custody by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell during a pan-Indian operation. The suspects were wanted in connection with shootings, extortions, murders, and the supply of weapons to the Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang, according to the officials.

    The police said they have recovered seven pistols, 31 live cartridges and 11 mobile phones from those arrested from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to an officer, the police said that by arresting them, they had stopped some contract killings and other horrible crimes in Delhi.

    Nine agents from the Bishnoi and Brar communities have been taken into custody, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pratiksha Godara. The team was led by inspectors Shiv Kumar and Satish Rana and was overseen by ACPs Lalit Mohan Negi and Hridya Bhushan. Of them, two each have been arrested from Delhi, UP and Punjab, and one each from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar, Godara said.

    Currently, Bishnoi is being held at the Sabarmati jail in Gujarat, while Brar—originally named Satinderjeet Singh—is believed to be hiding in Canada. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking for Brar, who is allegedly leading a gang from overseas.

    The Karni Sena leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in December 2023 and Punjabi musician Sinddu Moosewala in May 2022 were both killed by the Bishnoi-Brar gang. Additionally, the gang is claimed to have been involved in the firing outside Salman Khan’s home and threats against the Bollywood actor. 

    According to the police, several of the gang members that were arrested are still in contact with one another via encrypted communication services like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

    The accused, named as 22-year-old Manjeet Singh alias Guri, was allegedly involved in three prior criminal cases, including an assault on a fellow prisoner and an attack on police officers when he was imprisoned, according to another police official.

    Guri communicated with Brar via a someone named Ajay Rana. In November 2023, he and the accused Gurpal went to kill a property dealer in Zirakpur, Punjab, on Brar’s orders because the merchant had refused to give the gang the extortion money.

    Guri and Gurpal were stopped by Delhi police in Zirakpur while they were traveling. The two started shooting at the police as they saw them. Gurpal was able to escape, but Guri was shot in retaliation and taken into custody. Later, Gurpal, 26, was taken into custody.

    According to the police, the other accused, 25-year-old Jaspreet Singh, also known as Rahul, was previously involved in two criminal cases: one involving the NDPS and the other under the Arms Act in Amritsar.

    The 26-year-old Sachin Kumar, also known as Rahul, has an ITI diploma in the electrical stream. In 2014, he was implicated in a robbery criminal case in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. He once provided the Bishnoi gang members with weapons.

    Twenty-year-old Santosh, also known as Sultan Baba, was a transport company employee and a supporter of MP criminal Durlabh Kashyap, who was killed.

    The Bishnoi gang served as an inspiration for Manjeet, a 24-year-old who was arming its members.

    The 22-year-old Abhay Soni, also known as Kabir, had formed a Facebook group called “Rajasthan Shooters” and made touch with other people who were being held accountable for robberies and other offenses.

    The feared mobster Durlabh Kashyap was followed by Dharmendra, better known as Kartik, a 21-year-old cold storage worker who also joined several Facebook groups and engaged in illegal activity.

    The 27-year-old Santosh Kumar used to supply other Bishnoi-Brar gang members with guns.

  • NIA takes gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s custody, brings him to Delhi

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  A Delhi court on Thursday sent gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for 10 days. Bishnoi, who was lodged in Bathinda jail in connection with the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, was arrested by the NIA in connection with a case related to a conspiracy hatched by terror groups and criminal syndicates to carry out sensational crimes in different parts of the country.

    Sources said that the NIA suspects that Bishnoi is involved with anti-India terror organisations. The agency took custody of Bishnoi from the high-security Bathinda Central Jail and took him to Delhi for questioning.  

    A senior jail officer said that the gangster was taken to the national capital under heavy security with two bullet proof vehicles among other police vehicles. Special Judge Shailendra Malik passed the directions after the agency moved an application saying his interrogation was required to unearth the larger conspiracy.

    During the hearing, the court asked the agency, “What is the locus of NIA in the Moosewala murder case?” The NIA, while seeking Bishnoi’s custody for 12 days, replied that the material was coming from Pakistan and people like Moosewala are targets.

    “An investigation into the larger aspect is being carried out, and links are being searched,’ the agency said.Punjab Police on June 15 brought Bishnoi from Tihar Jail in Delhi for questioning in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Since then he was in the custody of the state police for different cases and was presently in judicial remand at Bathinda Jail.

    The gangster is the main accused in the singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case as he is considered the mastermind. The NIA is probing the case from various angles such as his links with Delhi-NCR gangsters and terror outfits. Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 when he along with his friend and cousin, were travelling in Jawahar Ke village in Mansa when six shooters pumped bullets into him. 

    CHANDIGARH:  A Delhi court on Thursday sent gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for 10 days. Bishnoi, who was lodged in Bathinda jail in connection with the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, was arrested by the NIA in connection with a case related to a conspiracy hatched by terror groups and criminal syndicates to carry out sensational crimes in different parts of the country.

    Sources said that the NIA suspects that Bishnoi is involved with anti-India terror organisations. The agency took custody of Bishnoi from the high-security Bathinda Central Jail and took him to Delhi for questioning.  

    A senior jail officer said that the gangster was taken to the national capital under heavy security with two bullet proof vehicles among other police vehicles. Special Judge Shailendra Malik passed the directions after the agency moved an application saying his interrogation was required to unearth the larger conspiracy.

    During the hearing, the court asked the agency, “What is the locus of NIA in the Moosewala murder case?” The NIA, while seeking Bishnoi’s custody for 12 days, replied that the material was coming from Pakistan and people like Moosewala are targets.

    “An investigation into the larger aspect is being carried out, and links are being searched,’ the agency said.
    Punjab Police on June 15 brought Bishnoi from Tihar Jail in Delhi for questioning in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Since then he was in the custody of the state police for different cases and was presently in judicial remand at Bathinda Jail.

    The gangster is the main accused in the singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case as he is considered the mastermind. The NIA is probing the case from various angles such as his links with Delhi-NCR gangsters and terror outfits. Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 when he along with his friend and cousin, were travelling in Jawahar Ke village in Mansa when six shooters pumped bullets into him.
     

  • Sidhu Moose Wala murder: SC seeks details of FIRs against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday sought the details of FIRs registered against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, arrested in connection with the murder of popular Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala.

    A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna directed the Punjab police to submit a chart informing it about the number of FIRs lodged against Bishnoi.

    “You took him (Bishnoi) under custody on June 13. Today is September 1. Please take instructions on what are your plans? How many months do you plan to keep him? Tell us how many cases are registered against him, what period you kept him in police custody,” the bench demanded.

    It posted the matter for further hearing on September 13.

    The top court was hearing a plea filed by Bishnoi’s father against the transit remand ordered by a Delhi Court for production of his son in the Moosewala murder case.

    Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, a day after the state government pruned the security cover of the singer and over 400 others temporarily.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday sought the details of FIRs registered against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, arrested in connection with the murder of popular Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala.

    A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B V Nagarathna directed the Punjab police to submit a chart informing it about the number of FIRs lodged against Bishnoi.

    “You took him (Bishnoi) under custody on June 13. Today is September 1. Please take instructions on what are your plans? How many months do you plan to keep him? Tell us how many cases are registered against him, what period you kept him in police custody,” the bench demanded.

    It posted the matter for further hearing on September 13.

    The top court was hearing a plea filed by Bishnoi’s father against the transit remand ordered by a Delhi Court for production of his son in the Moosewala murder case.

    Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, a day after the state government pruned the security cover of the singer and over 400 others temporarily.

  • Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi pelted with stones near Panipat, Punjab A-G escapes unhurt

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Some unidentified people pelted stones at Shatabdi Express near Panipat, causing a crack in the windowpane of a berth occupied by Punjab Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu who was returning after appearing in the Supreme Court in a case against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

    Police said Sidhu and his team of advocates escaped unhurt, but the AG spoke to the Punjab police chief and narrated him the details.

    The incident took place Tuesday evening when Sidhu and his team were returning from the national capital in the Delhi-Chandigarh-Kalka Shatabdi train, a day after they appeared in the apex court.

    Just as the train left the Panipat railway station, some people pelted stones at the coach in which Sidhu and his team of advocates were sitting.

    Sidhu said those who threw the stones could have been seven to eight in number.

    When asked if he could have been their specific target, Sidhu said it is a matter of investigation.

    Station House Officer, Government Railway Police, Panipat, Raj Kumar said unidentified persons hurled stones at the Shatabdi train.

    “No one was hurt. The matter is under investigation.”

    Sidhu called the Punjab police chief and apprised him about the incident.

    Later, he gave his statement to police and provided him the details.

    Sidhu had appeared in the Supreme Court on Monday in connection with the jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi case who faces several court cases including the one related to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May.

  • Punjab Police arrest 11 history-sheeters backed by gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Harvinder Rinda

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Eleven people involved in heinous crimes and backed by gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Harvinder Rinda have been arrested, a senior police officer said here on Thursday.

    These history-sheeters were active in several neighbouring states of Punjab and had been involved in crimes such as murder, attempt to murder, armed dacoity, organised extortion, robbery and drug smuggling, Additional Director General of Police, Anti-Gangster Task Force, Pramod Ban said here on Thursday.

    “With their arrests, the Punjab Police has thwarted attempts of at least seven murders, two police custody escapes and four armed robberies,” he added.

    Nine weapons and five looted vehicles were recovered from their possession, Ban said.

    Ban also said the arrested people had been conducting recces for the past few months and were nabbed before they could strike.

    When asked if any prominent personality was on their target, the ADGP Ban said, “I cannot indicate anything like that. But what I can tell you is their aim was to create unrest.”

    As per preliminary investigations, the ADGP said, the gang was being operated by Vikram Brar, an associate of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, on the directions of Harvinder Singh alias Rinda.

    Brar, a resident of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, is currently residing abroad is wanted by the police of six states.

    He was a classmate of Lawrence Bishnoi and is active on social media, Ban said.

    That arrested hail from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

    They are Mohammad Yaseen Akhtar alias Jaisy Purewal, Navi, Amandeep alias Shooter, Shiv Kumar alias Shiva, Ankush Sabharwal alias Paya and Vishal alias Fauji from Jalandhar; Sagar Singh from Mohali; Annu alias Pehalwan of Kapurthala; Amar Malik from Ludhiana; and Sumit Jaswal alias Kaku and Arun Kumar alias Mani Rana from Una in Himachal Pradesh, the ADGP said.

    Giving out details about the arrested people, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar (Rural) Swapan Sharma said Akhtar alias Jaisy has been involved in at least 16 criminal activities.

    Similarly, Ankush Sabarwal alias Paya has six criminal cases registered against him.

    He was a student of Vikram Brar at an IELTS centre in Nakodar in 2014 and had been providing shelter and safe houses to Saurav Mahakal of Maharashtra, who was arrested by the police in Pune, recently.

    Along with Mahakal, he committed three crimes in Punjab, the SSP said.

    Sharma said Arun Kumar alias Mani Rana is a gangster operating at the behest of the Lawrence-Jaggu Bhagwanpuria group and they had planned Mani’s escape from police custody during a court hearing in Himachal Pradesh’s Una.

    He said Sumit Jaswal alias Kaku has been arrested as he was actively involved in doing a recce and organising logistics for this escape attempt.

    “With the arrest of this gang, the backbone of organised criminal activities in the Doaba region (of Punjab) in general and Jalandhar, in particular, has been broken,” the SSP added.

    All the arrests were made by the Jalandhar Rural police.

    In the past two months, teams from Jalandhar Rural have arrested 32 people affiliated with various jailed gangsters across the state and recovered 38 weapons from their possession.

    Replying to a question, Ban said the Punjab Police is working in close coordination with the Anti-Terrorism Squads of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Special Cell of the Delhi Police, “and we keep sharing information on a regular basis on various things”.

  • Lawrence Bishnoi admits being mastermind in Moosewala killing, says Punjab Police 

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has admitted that he was the mastermind in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s killing and was planning it since last August, Punjab Police ADGP Pramod Ban said on Thursday.

    Ban, who is also the head of the Anti-Gangster Task Force, said another accused, Baldev alias Nikku, was arrested on Thursday.

    Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, a day after the Punjab government pruned the security cover of the singer and 423 people temporarily.

    “We had recently arrested Lawrence Bishnoi in the case and his remand was extended till June 27. He has admitted that he was the mastermind (in Moosewala’s killing),” Ban told reporters.

    “The plan to carry out the killing was being hatched since August last year. According to our information, recce was done thrice. In January too, a different group of shooters had come to kill Moosewala but could not do so,” the ADGP said.

    He also said a receipt dated May 25 from a Fatehabad-based petrol pump was found in the vehicle used in the killing of Moosewala which led the Punjab police to unveil the trail of events.

    “From CCTV footage obtained from the Fatehabad petrol pump, we identified the accused Priyavrat alias Fauji. We have arrested 13 people so far and the entire conspiracy has been unravelled,” Ban said.

    A court in Mansa had extended the police remand of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who was brought to the state by the Punjab Police from Delhi last week for questioning in the singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case.

    The Delhi Police had arrested three persons, including two shooters in the case, officials had said on Monday adding that one of them was in touch with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar at the time of the incident.

  • Moosewala murder: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s associate arrested from Bihar

    Express News Service

    PATNA: A close associate of a wanted gangster, arrested in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder, Lawrence Bishnoi has been arrested from Bihar’s Gopalganj district. Bishnoi is wanted in connection with the murder of noted Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

    Acting on a tip-off, a Punjab police team with the help of Gopalganj police arrested Mohammad Raja Hussain from his native village Rajapur under the Mirganj police station area late on Friday evening.

    Gopalganj SP Anand Kumar said that Hussain is stated to be an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He also worked for a Canada-based gangster identified as Goldi Brar in Delhi, Punjab and Bihar.

    Police said that Raja’s accomplish Shakti Singh was earlier arrested by Punjab police from Bilaspur in Chandigarh and Mohammad Afzal Khan from Chapra in Bihar’s Saran district.

    During the investigation, it came to light that the gangsters were allegedly involved in demanding extortion money from a Ludhiana-based businessman. They used national and international phone numbers for making extortion calls in India.

    “We have handed over Raja to the visiting police team from Punjab after completing legal formalities. The gangster on the run will be taken to Punjab on transit remand,” Gopalganj SP said.

  • Bishnoi gang delivered threat letter for Salman, plan was to extort money from him: Police

    Police said three members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang came from Jalour & one of them placed a letter on a bench in Bandra Bandstand area where Salim Khan, was sitting after his morning walk on Sunday

  • Moosewala death: Punjab, Delhi cops to jointly question jailed gangster

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  Punjab Police is likely to join its Delhi counterpart to question jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. The state government on Wednesday recast the Special Investigation Team and brought it under the supervision of Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the state police.

    The AGTF, headed by IGP Jaskaran Singh, will function under the supervision of the Additional DGP.Sources said Bishnoi is in the custody of the Special Cell of Delhi Police in a case under the Arms Act. A state police team is likely to question him in the presence of Delhi Police. He could be brought to Punjab for questioning.

    Senior Superintendent of Police of Mansa, Gaurav Toora, said the police had inputs about the route that the assailants took while fleeing. The police are examining how the singer’s movements were followed for over a month. “It is the work of organised criminals. We have some leads in the case,’’ he said.

    Bishnoi has expressed his fear of an  ‘encounter’ by Punjab Police. On Wednesday, he moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court after withdrawing his petition filed before the Delhi High Court. Moosewala’s mother Charan Kaur on Wednesday wept bitterly while collecting the ashes of her 28-year-old son who was cremated farmland on Tuesday. “My son’s enemies have reduced my tall and robust boy to ashes,’’ she wailed. The family left for Kiratpur Sahib to immerse his ashes. Moosewala’s pet dogs have refused food, and have been sitting near his tractor.

  • Sidhu Moose Wala’s killing: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi moves Punjab and Haryana High Court

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is suspected to be involved in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s killing, on Wednesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

    Bishnoi approached the HC after withdrawing his plea from the Delhi High Court in which he had sought necessary safeguards as he apprehended a “fake encounter” by the Punjab Police.

    Bishnoi was lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with a case lodged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) and was on Tuesday remanded in three-day custody of the Delhi Police Special Cell after it arrested him in an Arms Act case.

    In his petition submitted through advocates Sangram Saraon and Shubpreet Kaur, Bishnoi sought directions that the jurisdictional magistrate in Mansa, Punjab, being restrained from handing over his custody to the investigating agency in Punjab.

    The petitioner sought issuance of appropriate directions for questioning him through online/video conference facility or within the precincts of Tihar Jail, New Delhi.

    The petitioner submitted that there is a serious threat to his life and a possibility that upon being produced or while being brought from custody in connection with the FIR registered by the Mansa police, he can be “put to harm or liquidated by adopting extrajudicial means”.

    Bishnoi, 35, in his petition claimed that he was being falsely implicated in connection with the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

    “The petitioner has been named in the FIR no-103 dated May 29, 2022, only to cover up the inadequacies in the investigation. Moreover, the petitioner is being made a scapegoat and is being erroneously held responsible,” the petition said.

    “In fact, even before the FIR was registered, the top most police official of Punjab Police had virtually declared the petitioner responsible for the gruesome murder on the basis of which FIR no 103 dates 29.05.2022 has been registered. In fact, the petitioner is lodged in Tihar Jail, New Delhi,” said the petition.

    The petitioner has been falsely and erroneously named in the FIR without any tangible evidence, based on unreliable claims made on social media platforms, it further said.

    Moreover, the petitioner does not have access to social media platforms or communication devices, said the petition.

    On May 29, Moose Wala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security cover.

    His cousin and a friend, who were travelling in a jeep with him, were also injured in the attack.

    Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced setting up a judicial commission headed by a sitting high court judge to probe the killing of 28-year-old Moose Wala.

    Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was among the 424 people whose security was withdrawn or curtailed on May 28 temporarily.

    Punjab police chief V K Bhawra had claimed that prima facie, it seemed to be an inter-gang rivalry between the Lawrence Bishnoi group and Lucky Patial group.

    Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, who is the member of the Bishnoi gang, had allegedly claimed responsibility for the murder.