On Monday, Canadian police made a sensational claim.
They claimed at a news conference that agents of the Indian government were using “organized crime groups such as the Bishnoi group” to attack leaders of the pro-Khalistan movement, which calls for a separate Sikh homeland in India.
This was hours after both countries expelled top diplomats as tensions escalated about last year’s murder of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Delhi dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous” and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of targeting Canada’s sizable Sikh community for political gain.
The Canadian police were referring to Lawrence Bishnoi, a 31-year-old gangster from India, who is now back in the spotlight both nationally and internationally.
Indian police say his gang is linked to the murder of a prominent politician in Mumbai last weekend, in which gunmen were shot dead 66-year-old Baba Siddique near his son’s office. Three suspects are in custody. An alleged aide of Bishnoi has posted on social media that the gang is behind the murder.
Bishnoi, once one of the most wanted people in India, has been in prison since 2015 and is now being held in Gujarat far from his home state of Punjab.
Still, police believe his audacious influence continues. Bishnoi is the prime suspect in the sensational case murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, the popular Punjabi singer was shot near his village in October 2022.
In 2018, Bishnoi gained notoriety for threatening Bollywood star Salman Khan and accusing him of poaching two blackbuck antelopes – a revered species for Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community to which Lawrence belongs.
When he was produced before the court in the city of Jodhpur, he openly told the waiting media: “Salman Khan will be killed here in Jodhpur… Then he will come to know our real identity.” Siddique, the murdered politician, was a good friend of the Bollywood star.
In March last year, a news channel aired two interviews with Bishnoi from a prison in Punjab, prompting an outraged high court to order an inquiry. How a maximum-security inmate handled telephone interviews from prison remains a mystery.
Federal investigators estimate that Bishnoi continues to control a 700-member gang in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi involved in extorting celebrities, smuggling drugs and weapons and carrying out targeted assassinations. His partner Goldy Brar, also a co-suspect in the murder of Moose Wala, runs the gang remotely from Canada, police say. Bishnoi is facing more than 30 cases, 19 of which are currently being tried in court.
“He runs his gang seamlessly from prison without having to coordinate everything,” said Gurmeet Chauhan, a senior officer in Punjab’s anti-gangster task force. “Unlike other gangsters who are limited to a region, he thinks big.”
Bishnoi was born into prosperity. His family is among the wealthiest in their village in Punjab and lives in a spacious bungalow surrounded by more than 100 acres of land. His father, a former police officer, eventually gave up his job to take care of the family land, while his mother is a housewife. The couple raised two sons Lawrence and Anmol, both now prime suspects in Moose Wala’s murder.
Ramesh Bishnoi, a relative, told Jupinderjit Singh, a journalist and author of Who Killed Moose Wala, that Lawrence was named after British officer Henry Montgomery Lawrence, founder of the prestigious Lawrence School in the hill town of Sanawar.
Lawrence Bishnoi himself went to a convent school, rode his own bicycle in the eighth grade and wore expensive shoes – unheard of luxury for most. Known for quietly helping local children in need, he was an introverted figure with undeniable influence, Mr Singh says.
After completing school in 2008, he moved to a college in Chandigarh, where he quickly immersed himself in student politics in the city. “He had money, style and guts,” a Chandigarh police officer told Singh, explaining how easily Bishnoi attracted followers. He joined a student organization, ran in student elections and lost – a defeat he took personally.
Police records show that this turning point brought him closer to a world of violence as he mixed with a number of former student leaders who became criminals. Soon, police say, Bishnoi’s name became associated with fights, arson and gunfire incidents on campus.
Bishnoi’s home state of Punjab is overrun with gangs that fuel drug and gun trafficking, extortion and the local film and music industries. A money-driven economy, supported by drugs, real estate and illegal liquor sales, has fueled this rise and created an ecosystem that mixes crime with Punjabi pop culture, many say.
The gangsters from Punjab don’t enter the underworld just for riches; they crave fame and a deep-seated desire to “be someone,” Singh said.
This distorted pursuit of fame has its origins in feudal, patriarchal culture. Social media reinforces this, with many gangsters presenting their lives online. They flaunt their lifestyle on social media, where crime is often seen as a route to quick money and glamour. This has lured retired sportspersons and young recruits across Punjab to the dark side.
In September, police reported having dismantled more than 500 gangs and arrested more than 1,400 gangsters since mid-2021. Clashes with police left 16 gangsters dead and more than 80 injured, while three officers were killed and another 26 injured. According to police, Bishnoi has been convicted in four cases, but none for serious crimes such as murder.
With his neatly trimmed beard, the hoodie pulled over watchful eyes, Bishnoi often carries the nonchalant air of a young man. When the stakes are high, he shows a cunning in managing his image. During a court hearing, he wore a T-shirt with the image of Bhagat Singh, the respected Indian revolutionary.
In a widely circulated video, reportedly recorded in prison, the bearded gangster declares: “There is a desire for revolution in our hearts. Let’s see how much strength the enemy has.” The exact meaning of his words remains ambiguous.
Bishnoi’s rise is unlike any other. “Despite being in prison, it appears he is running his gang. Who will provide him with logistics or access to the media? Such control would be impossible without powerful allies,” Singh said. Separating the man from the myth remains elusive.
With additional reporting by Arvind Chhabra in Chandigarh
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