A 31-year-old Sikh man who converted to Christianity, Lawrence Bishnoi, is a Punjab-based gangster with numerous cases of murder and extortion against him. In spite of strict law and order, India’s police time and again failed to grip his gang and their activities. He became a more prominent name after the murder of Moosewala. Satinderjeet Brar, an associate of Lawrence Brar, also known as Goldy Brar, is a Canada-based gangster. Brar is wanted in connection with a number of serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and drug trafficking by Indian authorities. He was associated with Lawrence Bishnoi, another gangster of Punjabi origin who is currently imprisoned in Tihar Jail, Delhi. Brar has been named among the top 25 most wanted fugitives by Canada’s BOLO programme. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) report revealed Bishnoi Gang and Brar’s links to pro-Khalistan outfits.
Brar is a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which is one of the most notorious criminal gangs in Punjab. The gang is known for its involvement in a number of high-profile crimes, including the murder of several high-ranking police officials. The Indian government has issued a Red Corner Notice against him, which means that he can be arrested and extradited from any country that is a member of Interpol. Brar is accused of conspiring with others to acquire and supply illegal firearms, and using those firearms to commit murder and attempted murder. These gangsters are pro Khalistan activists and they are sponsored by the Canadian Khalistan, which supports Sikhs to create unrest in Punjab. Brar is currently on the run from the Indian and Canadian authorities. Many pro Khalistan brainwashed youth are members of this gang and they are trained to do terror activities.
In the recent past, two members of the Bishnoi gang fired five rounds at actor Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra area. While police were probing all possibilities, a Facebook post purportedly uploaded by Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the firing. Khan had in the past received at least two threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang. The gang has been targeting the actor because of his alleged involvement in the 1998 Blackbuck killing case in Rajasthan. Blackbucks are considered holy by the Bishnoi community and Lawrence Bishnoi claimed that he has been upset with the actor ever since.
Last year, in March, Salman’s manager received a threat mail, following which an FIR was registered against Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, a Canada based gangster and close associate of Bishnoi, and one Mohit Garg. It referred to an interview given by Bishnoi from Tihar jail where he had threatened the actor. The email from Mohit Garg’s ID said Brar wanted to talk to the actor. It referred to the interview given by Bishnoi in which the jailed gangster issued the death threat. The email said if the actor wanted to close the matter, he should talk to Brar “face to face.” The mail further threatened that while information was passed on this time around, the next time, there would be action.
Before that, in June 2022, a threat letter was kept at a spot on Bandra Bandstand where the actor’s father, Salim Khan, would walk. The threat letter claimed that the actor would meet the fate of singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was killed in May 2022, allegedly by the Bishnoi gang. An FIR was registered regarding that threat letter as well. These gangsters not only warned Khan and his family but also planned the attack and Mumbai police were clueless.
This gang’s two young members arrived in Mumbai one month ago, and started staying on rent at Panvel. They regularly visited Salman’s residence area. They had purchased the second-hand bike from a Panvel resident. The bike-borne men fired multiple rounds at actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence. These two wanted accused had initially planned to attack Khan in Panvel, where he has a farmhouse but somehow they failed to manage an attack. The two accused reached Bandra, fired, left their bike near Mount Mary Church, and took a train from Bandra station. The duo got off at Santacruz station and took an autorickshaw. They took the Western Express Highway to escape from the city. While police were investigating the whole incident, the social media post of Anmol Bishnoi surfaced around 11.30 am.
The post stated, “We want peace. If the only decision against oppression is war, then so be it. Salman Khan, we have done this to show you the trailer. So, you get an idea of our capabilities and don’t test us,”. The Facebook post by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in which he claimed responsibility for the attack, was uploaded from an IP address from Portugal, police said, adding that they are checking if a VPN was used or if it was actually uploaded from Portugal. An officer said that they have recorded the statements of two persons, including the bike owner and agent from Panvel, who sold the bike to the accused. An FIR has been registered at the Bandra police station and the matter is being probed by the Mumbai crime branch. Khan, who has Y-plus category security cover, and his family members were present at home when the firing took place. However, no one was injured.
Besides the local police, officers from crime branch unit-9, anti-extortion cell, and the crime intelligence unit have launched a parallel investigation. From a bullet shell recovered from the spot, the police suspect that a 7.6mm bore gun was used. Forensic lab officials collected samples from the spot outside Khan’s Galaxy Apartment residence. It’s extraordinarily unfortunate, as the area where Salman Khan lives is a popular area and his family is clearly under pressure. It’s a complete failure of the Home Ministry.
