Introduction

Lawrence Bishnoi is a Punjabi gangster and is the leader of a gang in North India. He has two dozen criminal cases against him including one's of murder and extortion. According to Indian authorities, he has more than 700 sharpshooters working for him across the country. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. He is the prime suspect of the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case.

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Early life

Bishnoi was born in Dutaranwali village in Abohar in Ferozpur, Punjab on 12 February 1991 in a well-off agriculturist family to a police constable-turned farmer. He studied in Abohar till his 12th grade and then moved to Chandigarh to pursue higher education in 2010 at DAV college in sector 10. Soon he became the President of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) in 2011 and remained so till 2012. He attempted to clear Bachelor of Arts twice but failed and was even caught cheating in exams. He completed his LLB from Panjab University.

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Entrance into crime

Bishnoi entered the world of crime in Chandigarh when several FIRs were registered against him for crimes like attempt to murder, trespassing, assault and robbery between 2010 and 2012. All of these cases were related to Bishnoi's involvement in student politics. Out of the seven FIRs registered against him in Chandigarh, he was acquitted in four and three cases are still pending.

During his time in jail, Bishnoi built alliances with criminals behind bars, after being released, he met with arms dealers and other local criminals. His gang increased in size throughout his education in Panjab University. He attacked winning candidate of the SOPU when his friend lost the elections.

After graduation, in 2013 he allegedly gunned down the winning candidate of elections of the Government College in Muktsar and a rival candidate at the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation elections. Bishnoi had to often go into hiding. It is after 2013 that he ventured into liquor dealing as well. He also sheltered murderers into his gang. In 2014 he had an armed encounter with Rajasthan Police after which he was sent to jail where he plotted murders and witness executions.

Bishnoi befriended a gangster-turned-politician friend Jaswinder Singh alias Rocky. Under Rocky, he remained active in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Later, Rocky was assassinated in 2016 by Jaipal Bhullar, who himself was gunned down in 2020.

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Rise to prominence

In 2018, a close associate of Bishnoi, Sampath Nehra, who allegedly carried out recce of Salman Khan's residence, disclosed that he was tasked with assassinating Salman Khan for his involvement in the Black Buck hunting case. According to the police, the Bishnoi community considers the Black Buck species to be sacred.

While being transported by police to be produced in a Jodhpur court in Rajasthan for a case of extortion, he stated in front of the media that "Salman Khan will be killed here, in Jodhpur... Then he will come to know about our real identity .... Now, if police want me to do some major crime, I shall kill Salman Khan and that too in Jodhpur". He claimed that he had been framed for fake charges.

Bishnoi continued to operate his syndicate while being lodged in Bharatpur jail, allegedly by receiving help by jail staff. In 2021, he was shifted to Tihar Jail in Delhi in relations with a case registered under the MCOCA. According to authorities Bishnoi uses Voice over IP calls to communicate with his associates outside the jail.

On 29 May 2022, Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in Mansa, Punjab. Hours after the assassination, the responsibility of the shooting was claimed by a Canadian-Indian gangster calling himself Goldy Brar, who claimed that he had engineered the plot with Bishnoi. Police suggested that Bishnoi's gang was involved in the shooting. At the time of the shooting, Bishnoi was in Tihar Jail in Delhi. Delhi Police Special Cell obtained a 5 day custody of Bishnoi for investigation.

Soon after Moose Wala's assassination Bishnoi moved a plea in the Delhi High Court stating that he is afraid of his life and fears a fake encounter by the Punjab police. He appealed that the Delhi Police and the Tihar Jail Authority must ensure his safety and that he must be properly handcuffed and shackled. He later withdrew that plea from the Delhi HC. He later moved his petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Bishnoi's gang reportedly has 700 shooters across 5 states in India and has international reach as well.