From Student Politics to Organised Crime: The Rise of Lawrence Bishnoi

Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang have expanded a vast criminal network across India and abroad since starting out in student politics around 2008 to 2010 on Punjab University grounds. Sometime in 2020, during questioning by the Delhi Police Special Cell, Bishnoi claimed he wanted to leave the crime world, live peacefully, and pursue sports, having practised the 1500m race in his school days. Interrogating officers later concluded he was misleading them to continue expanding his criminal empire.

Rise of the Gang

Bishnoi entered student politics around 2008-2009 and got involved with the Students of Panjab University group. In 2008, he was jailed after shooting at a rival candidate named Uday from the PUSU group, which police records list as his first crime and a failed murder attempt. He served 1.5 to 2 months in prison, where he met Ranjeet Dupla, a man previously arrested in Punjab for arms smuggling. Dupla helped buy weapons for Bishnoi and associates like Sampat Nehra and Kala Jathedi. Bishnoi later bought a Mahindra Bolero for his gang. After his release, Bishnoi took over the SOPU party and ran for university president in 2010, losing the election. He was jailed for a second time for 20 to 25 days after attacking a rival candidate and breaking their leg, an incident that also led to the arrest of his friend Goldy Brar. Bishnoi and Goldy Brar later committed their first murder by shooting dead Avtaar, a rival PUSU group candidate, during college election campaigning in Muksar, Punjab.

Expansion and Tactics

Police officers tracking North Indian gangs state Bishnoi's meteoric rise accelerated after 2013 through extensive social media use. The gang used Facebook and Instagram to show their presence, recruit members, issue threats, and confess to hits, including high-profile killings like Punjab singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 and Mumbai legislator Baba Siddiqui in 2024, alongside attacks linked to actor Salman Khan and a recent attack on actor Tiger Shroff. While Bishnoi spent over 10 years in jail and shuttled between prisons in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, associates like Goldy Brar operated from outside India, with the FBI designating Brar as a top fugitive. Law enforcement agencies note Bishnoi cultivated multiple personas while imprisoned, wearing T-shirts featuring freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and claiming spiritual practices such as avoiding rice, which officers described as a smokescreen for extortion and contract killings. A 2022 home ministry order directed the NIA to probe Bishnoi for drug and weapon smuggling, contract killings, and financing terror. An NIA FIR from August 2022 noted that gang members used cyberspace to spread fear among the public.

Context

Lawrence Bishnoi heads one of India's most prominent organized crime syndicates, operating through a network of jailed leaders and international associates. Gangs of this scale typically rely on extortion, weapon smuggling, and contract killings to fund their operations and maintain influence across multiple states. Law enforcement agencies increasingly target these networks by investigating their digital communications and financial backing.