Murders and Mobile Phones: All About Terrorist Lawrence Bishnoi And His Gang

Mob boss Lawrence Bishnoi and his cohort of criminals - linked to murders, extortion, and drugs and weapon trafficking - were branded as terrorists by Canada Monday evening.

"Acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation," Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration said.

The notification is overdue; the gang has been linked to killings and acts of intimidation, including the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which caused a diplomatic storm, and the shooting outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's Mumbai home in April last year.

That list also includes the December 2023 murder of Rajput leader Sukhdev Gogamedi and the October 2024 killing of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, as well as the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022, which catapulted his gang to 'international stardom'.

READ | Canada Declares Bishnoi Gang As Terror Group Amid India Ties Reset

Canada's crackdown means any Bishnoi gang asset in that country, from cash to vehicles and property, can be frozen or seized, giving Canadian law enforcement more (and sharper) teeth to prosecute gang members for various offences, including those related to financing of terrorist activities. It also means immigration officials can deny suspected members entry into Canada.

So who is Lawrence Bishnoi?

Born in 1993 in a village near Punjab's Abohar, Bishnoi's life could (and probably will, at some point) make for quite the dramatic Bollywood movie. His father was reportedly a constable in the Haryana Police and also owned land - over 100 acres, some reports say, of agricultural land.

Lawrence Bishnoi (left) and Goldy Brar (File photo).

Young Bishnoi seemed destined for a life of relative ease. But that began to change sometime around 2010, when he was studying at Chandigarh's Panjab University. Drawn into the murky world of student politics, he met Goldy Brar - who would go on to become his long-time confidante and manage his Canada operations - in 2011 and a criminal partnership developed.

The duo, sources told NDTV in June, has since been linked to multiple murders, including that of Moose Wala, Siddique, and Gogamedi, and these and other nefarious activities, like liquor smuggling, mean over two dozen criminal cases have been filed against Lawrence Bishnoi.

READ | Partners No More: Gangsters Bishnoi, Brar Split Over Brother Anmol

Perhaps the most amazing part of this story (Bollywood script writers, take note) is that Bishnoi is not actually on the run. He is in police custody. He is, in fact, in jail. But his gang thrives, receiving orders to kill, threaten, and steal from behind bars since his arrest in August 2023.

'Milky', reports indicate, is the moniker his prison mates have bestowed on Bishnoi - now in a Delhi prison - after he was arrested by Gujarat Police for in a Rs 195 crore drug smuggling case.

And how does Bishnoi's gang work?

In October last year sources told NDTV choice details of the inner workings of Lawrence Bishnoi's gang, including the staggering reality that he has nearly 700 assassins on call.

The first truth is the Bishnoi gang is a bonafide international crime syndicate.

It has a presence across the country and a base in Canada, which was led by Goldy Brar till he fell out with Bishnoi. The 'break-up' was over the arrest of Bishnoi's younger brother, Anmol, in the United States in November last year. Anmol was arrested for entering the country illegally. Sources said Bishnoi was upset because he felt his brother did not receive support from Brar.

The second truth is Lawrence Bishnoi still pulls the strings, despite being in prison.

READ | Bishnoi Has 700 Shooters On Call. How He Operates From Jail

Sources said he uses mobile phones (contraband in prisons but easy for prisoners with means, such as Bishnoi, to access) to communicate with his lieutenants and manage his empire.

The phones, often 'borrowed' from other inmates, are usually connected to high-end VPN networks to mask the IP addresses and locations of people receiving his orders. And the gang makes liberal use of encrypted messaging platforms like Signal to speak to each other.

Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed by the Bishnoi gang in 2022 (File photo).

Bishnoi also works with unaffiliated gangsters in some cases.

For example, his lieutenants might reach out to thugs in Mumbai, ahead of a potential assassination, who act as intermediaries and hire shooters to complete the crime.

This way he ensures distance between himself and the murder.

That doesn't mean Bishnoi doesn't have his private army; the gang maintains a roster of around 700 gunmen, NDTV was told. Many of these are young men lured into a life of crime with promises of quick money or a ticket to, and a new life in, a foreign destination like Canada.

Only, of course, there is no easy cash. Only more murders and, eventually, jail or worse.

In essence, the gang is run like a corporate organisation, much like how Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company operates, with separate units to handle logistics, legal issues, and intelligence.

What are the high-profile cases at Bishnoi's door?

The Moose Wala, Gogamedi, Siddique, and Nijjar murders are the big ones. But there are more, many more, including that of a Delhi-based gym owner in September last year. Nadir Shah, of Afghani origins, was shot dead because he refused to pay Rs 5 crore in 'protection money'.

READ | Delhi Gym Owner Killed Because He Stood Up To Bishnoi: Sources

The gang has also claimed credit for shootings outside Salman Khan's home and a restaurant owned by comedian Kapil Sharma - who is close to the actor - in Canada in August 2025.

READ | Over 25 Shots Fired At Kapil Sharma's Canada Cafe, 2nd Time In A Month

Canadian police have linked the gang to the extortion of prominent South Asian community members in the Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta provinces.

Is this the end of the road for Bishnoi?

No. But it does indicate his days, and those of his gang, are numbered. Coordinated investigations and crackdowns by Indian and Canadian authorities should bring the mob down.

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