From Bihar to Punjab, how labourers turned into sharpshooters for Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate

Days after the arrest of two shooters, who allegedly opened fire at Bollywood actor Salman Khan's home, the sleuths of Delhi Police's Special Cell and the Crime Branch tracking the gang activities have revealed the new modus operandi of infamous Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate.

As per sources, traditionally known for preying on vulnerable juveniles with promises of glamour and fame, the gang, believed to be operating from abroad, has now adopted a cunning strategy to expand its nefarious activities.

Instead of solely targeting aspiring talents, the Bishnoi gang has now begun luring unsuspecting labourers with the promise of lucrative payouts.

"These individuals, enticed by the prospect of hefty sums, unwittingly become pawns in the syndicate's sinister schemes, and in return, they have to execute the orders given by gang members sitting in the US, Dubai or Canada," said the sources.

This was revealed after the arrest of two shooters, Vicky Gupta, 24, and Sagar Pal, 23, who were involved in firing at Salman Khan's residence on April 14 and were nabbed from Bhuj in Gujarat, bordering Pakistan, in a swift joint operation of the Mumbai Police and Gujarat Police.

Gupta and Pal hail from Mahsi village in Bihar's West Champaran district and had gone to Punjab where they were doing labour work.

"The duo was provided with Rs one lakh and a country-made pistol by the syndicate member in Haryana to execute the crime. Pal, who was fascinated with gangster life, had come in contact with the crime syndicate through his brother, who is in Haryana," said the sources.

The sources said that after the crime, Gupta and Pal were in constant touch with their contact in Haryana, who has also been detained by Mumbai Police.

According to a senior police official in the Special Cell, in, the past year, Delhi Police have apprehended several juveniles and youths, who were recruited from rural areas of Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, or Delhi, aged between 15 and 20 years. These immature youths were enticed by the gang members and contacted through internet-based services," said a senior police officer.

"They were given instructions to reach specific locations and were provided with weapons and logistical support by masked or fake identity individuals, similar ways in which the shooters involved in firing at a Bollywood actor's residence were given the directions," said the official.

The entire operation functioned smoothly, with no communication between different parts of the syndicate.

"The handler, operating from abroad using international members, coordinated with various gang members, including recruiters, logistics providers, and shooters. The syndicate frequently changed phones, SIM cards, and locations to evade law enforcement," said the official.

In December, two sharpshooters of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang were arrested, who had fired seven to eight rounds in front of the residence of a former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Punjab MLA in Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area in a bid to extort money.

As per the NIA charge sheet submitted in court, the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate's main activities involve kidnapping, murder, extortion for ransom, cross-border smuggling of sophisticated weapons and narcotics, in-land smuggling of contraband and illegal liquor smuggling.

The gangster did not directly talk to any shooter but routed them through his close associates, including Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar and Anmol Bishnoi, both believed to be operating either from the US or Canada.

The NIA also said that its investigation has revealed that the distribution of work used to be done with careful planning, and the gang members were assigned different tasks. The matters about funding were mostly decided by Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Darmanjot Kahlon.

"Bishnoi was intentionally running the entire operations from behind the jail. He was so adept in operating from inside the jail that he didn't apply for bail in any case. It is also revealed that a considerable part of the money generated through extortion activities was sent to Canada, the US, Dubai, Thailand and Australia for the use of their associates/family members based abroad and also for funding the activities of pro-Khalistan extremists," the charge sheet read.