Special Correspondent | India News Reporter | October 13, 2025: Lawrence Bishnoi. At just 32 years old, this Punjab-born gangster has transcended the gritty confines of regional crime syndicates to become a global specter, his influence stretching from the bustling streets of Mumbai to the diaspora communities in Canada and the United States. In the labyrinthine world of India’s underworld, where alliances shift like desert sands and vendettas span continents, one name echoes louder than most.
As of October 2025, Bishnoi’s syndicate stands accused not just of domestic terror but of orchestrating hits on foreign soil, drawing India into a diplomatic firestorm with Western nations. Law enforcement agencies, from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to the FBI, now view him as the most dangerous man in India a kingpin whose blend of old-school brutality and modern digital savvy threatens national security on an unprecedented scale.
From College Activist to Underworld Overlord
Lawrence Bishnoi’s story reads like a dark Bollywood script, rooted in the fertile grounds of Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community a sect known for its fierce environmentalism and unyielding loyalty. Born in 1993 in a middle-class family in Abohar, Punjab, Bishnoi was no slum-bred thug like the Mumbai dons of yore. Instead, he was a bright student at DAV College in Chandigarh, where he cut his teeth in student politics as the president of the student union.
But what began as fiery protests against local issues quickly spiraled into violence. In 2012, at the tender age of 19, Bishnoi was arrested for arson and attempted murder after a clash with rival student groups. Imprisoned in Chandigarh’s Burail Jail, he encountered hardened criminals who schooled him in the arts of extortion, smuggling, and targeted killings.
Released on bail, Bishnoi didn’t look back. By his early 20s, he had assembled a network of over 700 foot soldiers, operating under the banner of the Lawrence Bishnoi Syndicate. His operations, initially focused on Punjab’s drug trade and land disputes, soon expanded into Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Extortion rackets targeting builders and businessmen became his bread and butter, with ‘protection money’ demands enforced through drive-by shootings and social media threats.
What sets Bishnoi apart from predecessors like Dawood Ibrahim or Chhota Rajan is his savvy use of technology: encrypted apps for coordination, YouTube videos to broadcast bravado, and Instagram reels to recruit impressionable youth. ‘He’s not just a gangster; he’s a brand,’ says criminologist Dr. Meera Singh, who has tracked his rise. ‘In an era of influencers, Bishnoi sells fear and loyalty like a lifestyle.’
A Reign of Terror: High-Profile Hits and Bollywood Feuds
Bishnoi’s notoriety exploded in 2022 with the daylight murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, a killing his gang openly claimed as revenge for the 2017 murder of his brother Ankit Bishnoi. The hit, executed with AK-47s on a public road in Punjab, sent shockwaves through the state, highlighting the syndicate’s access to sophisticated weaponry smuggled from Pakistan and Afghanistan. But it was his high-decibel feud with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan that catapulted him into the national spotlight.
The grudge traces back to a 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan, where Khan allegedly killed animals sacred to the Bishnoi community. What started as symbolic protests morphed into death threats. In April 2024, Bishnoi’s men fired shots outside Khan’s Mumbai residence, Bandra.
Undeterred, the gangster upped the ante: In October 2024, he claimed responsibility for a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on Khan’s home, a brazen assault that forced the actor into heightened security. ‘Salman Khan, your end is near,’ read a chilling message from Bishnoi’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, which boasts over 100,000 followers despite repeated bans.
But Khan is just one target. Bishnoi’s ledger of violence includes the October 2024 assassination of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique in Mumbai, a killing linked to his rivalry with the Dawood Ibrahim faction. In Delhi, his gang has been implicated in over 50 extortion cases, including the 2023 murder of a Burger King manager in Rajouri Garden a botched hit meant for a rival.
As per NIA records, the syndicate controls a slice of the ₹50,000 crore annual drug trade funneling heroin from the Golden Crescent into Punjab, fueling addiction epidemics in the region. ‘Bishnoi’s not content with local turf wars; he’s building an empire,’ notes a senior Haryana Police officer, speaking anonymously. ‘His annual extortion haul is estimated at ₹500 crore, laundered through crypto and hawala networks.’
The Global Web: From Khalistan to Diplomatic Standoffs
If domestic crimes make Bishnoi infamous, his international reach makes him lethal. In mid-October 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stunned the world by alleging that Indian diplomats had enlisted Bishnoi’s syndicate to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil a claim that ignited a full-blown diplomatic row.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) named Bishnoi as the operational head, linking his gang to the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan Tiger Force leader, in Surrey, British Columbia. Five Indian nationals, allegedly Bishnoi associates, were arrested in connection, with extradition battles ongoing.
The accusations didn’t stop there. U.S. authorities, in July 2025, nabbed Pavittar Singh Batala one of Bishnoi’s top lieutenants and a fugitive on India’s most-wanted list in a California kidnapping ring tied to the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a banned Khalistani outfit. Batala, extradition pending, confessed to coordinating arms smuggling for hits in Punjab.
By September 2025, the FBI had issued Red Corner notices for Bishnoi’s brothers Anmol and Jaskaran hiding in the US, accused of plotting against Sikh activists. ‘Bishnoi’s syndicate has weaponized the Khalistan movement for profit,’ says counter-terror expert Vikram Singh. ‘They provide muscle to separatists in exchange for smuggling routes and safe houses.’
India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the claims as ‘absurd,’ but the damage was done. In February 2025, India formally requested the U.S. to extradite 10 fugitives, including Bishnoi aides like Goldy Brar and Anmol Vishnoi, underscoring the transnational threat. As of October 13, 2025, Bishnoi remains incarcerated in Sabarmati Jail, Gujarat, serving a 10-year sentence for drug smuggling. Yet, from behind bars, he pulls strings: Recent intelligence suggests he’s plotting escapes via drone-delivered arms, a tactic borrowed from Mexican cartels.
The Hunt Intensifies: Can India Tame Its Most Elusive Predator?
The Lawrence Bishnoi saga exposes the underbelly of modern India a nation grappling with porous borders, radicalized youth, and a diaspora rife with grudges. With over 200 cases against him, including 40 murders and 50 extortion rackets, Bishnoi’s bounty stands at ₹50 lakh from the NIA. Yet, arrests of his underlings barely dent the operation; new recruits flood in via TikTok manifestos glorifying ‘Bishnoi Bhai.’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has ramped up crackdowns: In August 2025, a multi-agency task force comprising CBI, NIA, and Interpol raided 150 locations across Punjab and Haryana, seizing ₹200 crore in assets. Punjab’s new anti-gangster law, imposing life sentences for organized crime, has led to 50 convictions this year. But experts warn of a hydra-like resilience. ‘Cut off one head, and two grow back,’ quips Dr. Singh. ‘Bishnoi’s ideology revenge, community pride, anti-corruption rhetoric resonates with disillusioned youth.’
As winter chills the northern plains, whispers of Bishnoi’s next move circulate: A mega-extortion bid on Delhi’s real estate barons? A cross-border hit to avenge Nijjar fallout? For now, India watches warily. In a country of 1.4 billion, one man’s shadow looms largest proof that danger often wears a familiar face.
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