Court stops Mumbai police from taking Lawrence Bishnoi into custody
PTC News Desk: Despite his gang taking responsibility for the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s house in April and the recent killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, the Mumbai Police has been unable to secure custody of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently held in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail.
Following the April incident outside Salman Khan’s residence, the Mumbai Police made multiple attempts to gain custody of Bishnoi, but these efforts were thwarted by a Home Ministry order preventing his transfer. Bishnoi had been relocated to Sabarmati Jail from Delhi's Tihar Jail in August 2023 due to his involvement in a drug smuggling case. Under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order barring any state or agency from requesting his custody for a year, citing concerns that his transfer could disrupt law and order.
Originally set to expire in August 2024, sources indicate that the Home Ministry has extended this order for another year, prolonging the restriction on his movement.
Bishnoi's gang first made national headlines following its claim of responsibility for the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. More recently, the gang admitted to being behind the April firing at Salman Khan’s residence, Galaxy Apartments in Bandra. The gang is reportedly led by Bishnoi's brother, Anmol, along with associates Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, who continue to manage its daily operations.
Their motive against Salman Khan is reportedly tied to the actor's alleged involvement in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Jodhpur, during the filming of "Hum Saath Saath Hain." The Bishnoi community, which holds the blackbuck sacred, has been deeply aggrieved by the incident. Bishnoi himself had stated during a 2018 court appearance that his gang would "kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur" and that their intent would become clear once they took action.
In the latest incident, a gang member now in police custody has claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddique, citing his connections to India's most-wanted terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim, his closeness to Salman Khan, and the death of Anuj Thapan, one of the suspects arrested in connection with the April shooting, who died in police custody.
Police are still working to verify the authenticity of the gang's statements.
- With inputs from agencies
