New Delhi: Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has reportedly been detained by U.S. authorities in California, according to Indian agency officials familiar with the matter on Monday.
However, Indian officials stated that they have not yet received any official confirmation regarding the detention.
“We have learnt from our sources that Anmol Bishnoi, who was running the gang’s activities along with Goldy Brar and was operating from the US, has been detained in California about four to five days back. We are trying to get more details through official channels,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.
This marks the second significant detention of a wanted gangster, following Arshdeep Singh Gill, also known as Arsh Dalla, who was detained in Canada late last month.
Indian officials are currently trying to determine the circumstances surrounding Anmol Bishnoi’s apprehension in California. Bishnoi was last tracked to Fresno, California, though it is unclear if his detention occurred there.
U.S. officials had been in communication with Mumbai Police regarding Bishnoi’s location. Mumbai police are investigating his alleged involvement in the shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s residence on April 14 and the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique on October 12.
Mumbai police are reportedly preparing to send an extradition request for Bishnoi to the U.S.
As reported by HT last month, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently added Anmol Bishnoi to its ‘most wanted’ list and announced a ₹10 lakh reward for information on him.
Previously, Mumbai police issued a lookout notice for Bishnoi after he claimed responsibility on social media for the shooting outside Khan’s residence.
Investigations have revealed that the shooters involved in Baba Siddique’s murder were in contact with Bishnoi through Snapchat. Siddique was killed by three armed attackers outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Bandra East on October 12, suffering three gunshot wounds.
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Shortly after the murder, a social media post by suspected Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Shubham Lonkar claimed responsibility for the killing.
Anmol Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, believed to be hiding in the U.S., are known to manage the operations of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Their activities include collaborating with jailed gang leaders to extort and intimidate singers, industrialists, politicians, and sportspersons, resorting to violence, threats, and even killings when demands are not met.
“Their syndicate is spread across the states (and Union territories) that include Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand and recruitment, payments to gang members, supply of weapons etc is managed from abroad, mostly by Anmol, Goldy Brar and a few other close aides of Lawrence,” said a second officer cited above.
Anmol Bishnoi, also known as ‘Bhanu,’ is the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and was reportedly involved in orchestrating the assassination of singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022. Lawrence Bishnoi has been incarcerated in Sabarmati prison since August of last year.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has strong ties with pro-Khalistan groups such as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and officials believe that Anmol Bishnoi and Goldy Brar are responsible for managing these operations.
The NIA has described this extensive network as a new underworld. In a charge sheet filed in March 2023 regarding the gangsters’ activities, it noted, “This network of gangsters and PKEs, along with their connections to the music industry, singers, kabaddi players, and advocates, mirrors the pre-1993 Mumbai blasts era when the underworld’s extensive ties with business figures and the film industry came to light.”
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