Lawrence Bishnoi sought 'Mahagathbandhan' with gangs: NIA charge sheet

The NIA has mentioned in its charge sheet that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had proposed an idea of forming alliances with other gangs, a 'Mahagathbandhan' to confront rivals and expand terror network.

The NIA states that Bishnoi utilised social media tools and various websites to reach a wider audience.

"The accused, Lawrence Bishnoi is the mastermind behind this syndicate, orchestrating the dangerous concept of forging alliances with gangs in almost all states of northern India, except Punjab. 

"He formed alliances with Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri and Virender Pratap alias Kala Rana in Haryana, Jitender Maan Gogi in Delhi, Anandpal in Rajasthan, and later his protege, Anuradha Choudhary alias Revolver Rani, also joined this terror syndicate. These alliances significantly augmented Lawrence Bishnoi's influence as a gangster," stated the charge sheet.

According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), after establishing these alliances, Bishnoi was able to operate even from jail. The profits from targeted killings and extortion were shared among all members, including Rajesh Kumar alias Raju Mota, Kala Rana, Dalip Bishnoi, Surender Singh alias Chiku, and others, to support the foot soldiers and invest in properties.

The NIA investigation also revealed that Bishnoi aimed to reach a larger audience, prompting him to employ various social media tools and platforms to showcase his terror network.

"Bishnoi gained notoriety by exploiting Facebook and YouTube to his gang's advantage, promoting all their terror activities through these platforms. From sharing pictures of his court appearances while in custody to ensuring widespread coverage on social media, Bishnoi used Instagram and YouTube to amplify the slogan 'Jai Balkari ji,' which became synonymous with him. 

"The hundreds of thousands of views boosted his image and facilitated more extortion demands. Inspired by his tactics, gangsters in Delhi and Haryana also became active on social media. In addition to social media, news articles and stories in TV and print media satisfied the syndicate's thirst for publicity, particularly Lawrence Bishnoi," the charge sheet said.