Lawrence Bishnoi, who has been lodged in jails across several states since 2015 and held in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail since 2023, remains at the centre of a sprawling organised crime network that Indian agencies and foreign investigators link to multiple high‑profile killings and attacks, officials said.
From a brief run on the streets to a transnational enterprise
Investigators trace the origins of the gang to the late 2000s when Bishnoi formed a group that grew rapidly in reach despite his early arrest and imprisonment. The perceived mystique around Bishnoi—who led the outfit for only a few years before being jailed—has, officials say, not diminished the organisation’s capacity to project violence inside India and overseas.
The network has repeatedly surfaced in probes into murders and assaults, including the May 2022 killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar—which United States agencies have also examined—and the October 2024 killing of politician Baba Siddiqui. The gang has been linked to attacks on the properties of actors Salman Khan and Disha Patani, and a 2023 shooting in Mumbai that targeted a prominent young actor, officials said.
In an audio recording posted on X soon after the Mumbai shooting, a man identified as Anil Pandit takes credit for the attack.
Those investigations have, according to law‑enforcement sources, revealed an internal structure in which deputies and lieutenants operate externally while Bishnoi remains incarcerated. One such deputy, Satwinder Singh alias Goldy Brar, is based abroad and is the subject of a US inquiry. The FBI has designated Bishnoi’s organisation as an Organised Crime Group (OCG), officials reported.
Key persons and alleged movements
Recent episodes have put other associates in the spotlight. Anil Pandit, identified in police reports as a member of the gang and aged 32, was arrested after the Mumbai shooting; investigators say he later fled India in 2023 and is believed to have travelled via Canada and Thailand to the United States.
Pandit and another operative, Harman Sandhu, have been presented by authorities as the public face of operations in recent years. Police say such public claims may serve to divert attention from core leadership figures abroad, notably Goldy Brar, who investigators say works closely with Bishnoi.
- Organisation: Operates across multiple Indian states and internationally, investigators say.
- Leadership: Headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, with deputies such as Goldy Brar active abroad.
- Alleged crimes: Murders, targeted assassinations, assaults and house attacks on public figures.
| Incident | Date |
|---|---|
| Singer Sidhu Moosewala — murder | May 2022 |
| Hardeep Singh Nijjar — killing | June 2023 |
| Politician Baba Siddiqui — murder | October 2024 |
| Assaults/attacks on Salman Khan and Disha Patani (houses) | Dates not specified in reports |
Investigators describe a pattern in which operatives carry out violent acts on the ground while coordination and direction come from figures who can operate from detention or from abroad. Law‑enforcement agencies in India have increasingly shared intelligence with foreign counterparts as probes linked to the Bishnoi organisation developed transnational dimensions.
In one prominent case cited in the records, shots fired at a celebrity’s vehicle in Mumbai resulted in injuries to the driver and a bystander; the actor escaped serious harm. Three accused were arrested within 15 hours in Kota, Rajasthan, and an audio clip emerged soon after in which an individual identified as Pandit claimed responsibility.
Officials caution that investigations are ongoing and that attribution of individual incidents to the Bishnoi network remains subject to evidence developed in each probe and to inter‑agency cooperation. The involvement of foreign agencies, including the FBI, has added layers of diplomatic and investigative engagement, officials said, as authorities in India pursue leads that cross jurisdictions.
As inquiries continue, the case underscores challenges for investigators confronting organised crime groups that sustain influence despite incarceration of their nominal leaders, and that operate through transnational linkages and local affiliates.
