Lawrence Bishnoi

Lawrence Bishnoi (born 12 February 1992) is an Indian Punjabi gangster and leader of a gang in North India. He has two dozen criminal cases against him including ones of murder and extortion. However, he has denied these allegations. His gang is affiliated with over 700 shooters across the country. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.

Early life

Lawrence Bishnoi was born in Bishnoi family of Dutaranwali village in Abohar, Ferozpur, Punjab on 12 February 1992. His father was a police constable at the time working for Haryana Police. His father left the police force in 1997 and became a successful farmer. He studied in Abohar until the 12th grade in 2010 when he moved to Chandigarh to pursue higher education at DAV College in Sector 10. He joined the Panjab University Campus Students Council in 2011, where he met Goldy Brar (real name Satinder Singh), another gangster. After meeting Goldy, he became involved in university politics and began committing crimes. He completed his LLB from Panjab University.

Entry into crime

Lawrence Bishnoi entered the world of crime in Chandigarh when several first information reports (FIRs) were registered against him for crimes including an attempt to murder, trespassing, assault and robbery between 2010 and 2012. All of these cases were related to his 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.

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. Lawrence had to often go into hiding. After 2013 he ventured into liquor dealing. He also sheltered murderers in 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.

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

Rise to prominence

In 2018, a close associate of Lawrence, 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.

He continued to operate his syndicate while lodged in Bharatpur jail, allegedly by receiving help from jail staff. In 2021, he was shifted to Tihar Jail in Delhi in relation to a case registered under the MCOCA. According to authorities, Lawrence 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, responsibility for the shooting was claimed by a Canadian-Indian gangster calling himself Goldy Brar, who claimed that he had engineered the plot with Lawrence. Police suggested that Lawrence's gang was involved in the shooting. At the time of the shooting, he was in Tihar Jail. Delhi Police Special Cell obtained a 5 day custody of Lawrence for investigation.

Soon after Moose Wala's assassination, Lawrence moved a plea in the Delhi High Court stating that he is afraid for 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.

The Lawrence's gang is allegedly working with 700 shooters across 5 states in India with a reach outside India as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishnoi, Lawrence
Indian criminals
Indian gangsters
1991 births
Living people
Punjabi people