Mumbai: How Lawrence Bishnoi became a headache for intel sleuths and NIA

Law enforcement agencies in India are facing a daunting challenge posed by the rapidly expanding network of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi Sources reveal that despite being imprisoned for long years on multiple serious charges Bishnoi has been fortifying his network which is engaged in terror and smuggling operations He has been collaborating with dreaded prison inmates to provide logistical support to his henchmen on the groundAn officer who worked in Central agencies believes that the Bishnoi gang is on a quest to expand its network in Maharashtra because the gangster said that he is opposed to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim whose network is spread in and around MumbaiThe suspects who were involved in the recent Bandra shooting in police custody in Bhuj File picPTIldquoSee Bishnoi has been expanding his network despite being imprisoned in Ahmedabadrsquos Sabarmati Central Jail He is an excellent orator who can convince other dreaded criminals to join hands with himrdquo said the officerldquoWe assume that the firing incident at Galaxy Apartment might be an attempt to reach prisons in Maharashtra so that Bishnoi can expand his network thererdquo said the officer requesting anonymityThe bike abandoned by his henchmen right Actor Salman Khan at his farmhouse File picldquoThough he already has a widespread network in Gujarat where his younger brother Anmol who is now abroad hid after a sensitive murder in Jodhpur in 2017 The jailed gangster has had actor Salman Khan in his crosshairs over the blackbuck incidentrdquo said the officerldquoIn past Bishnoi has openly threatened Salman after which the Mumbai police increased the security apparatus around him Yet something went amiss of laterdquo he addedBrother takes responsibilityAnmol who is believed to be holed up in Pakistan or Canada was quick to take responsibility for the firing ldquoBishnoi knows that the Mumbai police will take him into their custody for interrogation and after this he might be kept in a Maharashtra prison This would fulfil his ultimate plan to expand his nexusrdquo said the officerA senior officer in Mumbai police Crime Branch told midday ldquoWe are in the process of bringing Bishnoi to Mumbai for questioning in this case but once the custody period ends we will send him backrdquoThe apartment in Panvel which the shooters rented File picLawrence his brothers Sachin and Anmol and associates such as Goldy Brar Kala Jathedi Kala Rana Bikram Brar and Sampat Nehra were also raising funds to carry out terror and criminal activities through smuggling of drugs and weapons and widespread extortionldquoTo communicate seamlessly with each other and dodge intelligence agencies the gang members carry WiFi devices and highend smartphonesrdquo an officer from the Rajasthan police told middayIn November 2022 the National Investigation Agency NIA arrested Bishnoi in a case pertaining to a conspiracy hatched by members of a criminal syndicate and gangs based in India and abroad to raise funds recruit youth to carry out terrorist acts in Delhi and other parts of the country to execute sensational crimesmdashincluding targeted killings of prominent personsmdashto strike terror in the minds of the people of the countryldquoTerrorist operatives have established a robust nexus with drug smugglers and members of the criminal syndicate overseen by Bishnoi The gangster has instilled widespread fear and alarm among the publicrdquo said an NIA officerThe criminal acts attributed to him are not isolated local incidents but rather interconnected elements of a farreaching conspiracy involving terrorists gangsters drug smuggling cartels and networks operating both domestically and internationallyldquoIt was found that most conspiracies had been hatched by Bishnoi from behind bars and were being executed by a network of criminal operatives based in India and abroadrdquo the officer saidCriminal networkThe arrested gangster is involved and wanted in many cases including the conspiracy to carry out killings in Punjab Haryana Chandigarh Himachal Pradesh Rajasthan and Delhi for more than a decadeldquoBishnoirsquos network is growing in Punjab Haryana Delhi Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand We have been keeping a close watch on themrdquo said a source from Punjab policeLast year in November the NIA took significant steps in dismantling the network associated with banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International and Bishnoirsquos gang chargesheeting four accused Darman Singh alias Darmanjot Kahlon Parveen Wadhwa alias Prince Yudhvir Singh alias Sadhu and Vikas SinghDarmanjot is one of the key links between Canadabased absconder Lakhbir Singh alias Landa an operative of Babbar Khalsa International and Bishnoirsquos crime syndicate Operating from the United States Darmanjot has been involved in a range of criminal activities including the smuggling of weapons explosives and drugs from PakistanPrince was a linchpin in the dissemination of vital information among the members of the terror gang NIA Investigations indicate that he was instrumental in coordinating communication channels enabling seamless interactions among gang members even those incarcerated in different jailsSadhu has figured as the chief arms procurer of the syndicate His role and expertise extended to facilitating the procurement of arms and ammunition from foreign countriesVikas Singh has been involved in providing sanctuary to different gang members involved in executing terror attacks and criminal operations across multiple states Notably he provided safe harbour to the gang members responsible for the RPG terror attack at the Punjab Police State Intelligence Headquarters in MohaliLong arm of lawThe NIA has seized arms ammunition and other incriminatory digital devices and documents from the accused The investigations further led the NIA to the hideouts set up across Haryana Punjab and UP which were being used to harbour gangsters and store weaponsIn another major step towards demolishing the terroristgangsterdrug smuggler nexus in the country the NIA in January attached four properties owned by members of Bishnoirsquos syndicateThe properties of which three were immovable and one movable were attached in a coordinated swoop by NIA teams in Haryana Punjab and Uttar Pradesh under the provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 The NIA found all these properties to be lsquoproceeds of terrorismrsquo2022Year NIA arrested Lawrence BishnoiAug 2022Month NIA registered case against Bishnoi under UAPA