Baba Siddique murder: How 'Salman-hater' Lawrence Bishnoi is calling shots from jail

Notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi alias Balkaran Barar, who has been lodged in a Gujarat jail, is back in the news after his alleged involvement in the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, known to be close to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, recently.

Bishnoi has also threatened to “kill” Salman for his alleged involvement in a blackbuck poaching case in 1998 during the filming of "Hum Saath-Saath Hain" in Rajasthan, irking the Bishnoi community which revers the animal.

Also read: Baba Siddique murder: Why Lawrence Bishnoi threatened Salman Khan

Twenty-six years down the line, Bishnoi’s deep resentment against Salman even while in prison continues.

The Mumbai Police suspect Siddique was killed at the behest of Bishnoi after a purported Facebook post surfaced claiming "Jo Salman Khan aur Dawood gang ki help karega apna hisab-kitab laga ke rakhna (whoever helps Salman Khan and the Dawood gang, keep your accounts in order)".

Also read: Baba Siddique murder: All about suspected shooters, conspirators, handler

The comments were posted by one Shubuu Lonkar, whom the police suspect to be Bishnoi gang aide Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar.

A senior Delhi Police officer told PTI that the intent of the Bishnoi gang has now gone beyond taking revenge against Salman.

"The gang is now trying to penetrate Bollywood, an area once ruled by Dawood Ibrahim, and set up its own D-Company," the officer said.

Despite being lodged in prison, Bishnoi has allegedly managed to execute murders of many high-profile people, including Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala in 2022, Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in 2023, besides orchestrating firing outside the residences of singers A P Dhillon and Gippy Garewal in Canada, the officer said.

The gang also claimed responsibility for the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Sukha Duneke in September 2023.

According to the police, the animosity between Bishnoi and Salman first became public in 2018 when Bishnoi said during a court appearance in Jodhpur, "We will kill Salman Khan. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now, they are accusing me of crimes for no reason." Since then, the popular actor has received multiple threats to his life, with the matter reaching a tipping point in April this year when gunshots were fired outside Salman’s Bandra residence by two shooters reportedly belonging to the Bishnoi gang who were later arrested.

As per Delhi Police records, Bishnoi himself never killed anyone yet he has become one of the most dreaded gangsters, running the gang with "impunity" from a Gujarat prison with a modus operandi similar to that of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.

According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Bishnoi now enjoys a 700-member strong gang spread across the country, including sharpshooters, with the help of other notorious gangsters such as Goldy Brar, Sachin Thapan, Anmol Bishnoi, Vikramjit Singh, Kala Jatheri, and Kala Rana.

"Most of the sharpshooters are young people who usually get influenced by his gang through social media," an official said.

According to police records, Bishnoi is a native of Punjab's Fazlika district who graduated in law from the Panjab University in Chandigarh.

Son of a farmer, Bishnoi reportedly owns about 100-acre of land in Punjab, the records show.

He has a tattoo of Lord Hanuman imprinted on his right arm and is known for his driving and shooting skills.

Bishnoi's younger brother Anmol, who used to study in a college in Rajasthan, is now believed to have joined his gang, operating from outside the country.

Bishnoi forayed into the world of crime during his Panjab University days in 2010 when he opened fire at a rival contestant during the student body polls for which he spent three months in jail.

He also contested the varsity polls and became the students’ union president while doing his graduation.

Convicted in four criminal cases in Punjab, including on charges of extortion, murder, attempt to murder, and offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bishnoi mostly operated in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi before setting his sight on Maharashtra.

(With agency inputs)