The murder of Baba Siddique has been linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Mumbai Police has confirmed that the three shooters involved in Siddique’s killing on Saturday night were linked to the gang of Lawrence Bishnoi – currently lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail of Gujarat.
Siddique’s murder is one of the many high-profile crimes linked to the Bishnoi gang. The other cases linked to the gang include the May 2022 murder of Punjabi musician Sidhu Moosewala, the April 2024 firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai house, and the September 2024 firing in Canada at the house of musician AP Dhillon.
Bishnoi, 31, is the son of an agriculturist from the Dhattaranwali village in Ferozepur district in Punjab. He belongs to the Bishnoi community, whose members live in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Rajasthan.
After Class 12th, Bishnoi shifted to Chandigarh in 2010 to pursue higher education. At DAV College, he joined student politics and became president of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) between 2011 and 2012.
The first FIR against Lawrence Bishnoi was for an attempt to murder, followed by another FIR for trespass in April 2010. In February 2011, a case of assault and robbery of a cell phone was registered against him.
Today, Bishnoi faces charges of murder, robbery, extortion, and others. Most of these cases are registered in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Chandigarh.
These crimes have brought the Bishnoi gang under law enforcement radar, leading to arrests of its members, including Lawrence Bishnoi. And despite being in jail, Bishnoi continues to run his operations through his associates.
Popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in May 2022. Lawrence Bishnoi was alleged to be the mastermind behind the murder. The murder was reportedly carried out in retaliation for the murder of another gang member, Vicky Middukhera.
In April this year, two men on a bike opened fire outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra. The Mumbai Police claimed that the shooters were hired by Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, who had allegedly conspired to kill the actor.
Bishnoi had openly threatened Khan in connection with the blackbuck poaching case. The Bishnoi community considers the blackbuck sacred, and Bishnoi had allegedly planned to harm Khan in retaliation for the 1998 poaching case.
In September this year, shots were reportedly fired outside Punjabi singer AP Dhillon's house on Victoria Island in Canada's Vancouver. An accused named Rohit Godara, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, took responsibility for the incident. AP Dhillon lives on Victoria Island in British Columbia.
In November last year, shots were fired at the house of Punjabi actor and singer Gippy Grewal in Vancouver, Canada.
Lawrence Bishnoi had claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Gippy was boasting closeness to Bollywood star Salman Khan, besides supporting calls for justice for killed singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Gangster Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke of the infamous Davinder Bambiha gang was shot dead by unknown men in Canada's Winnipeg in September 2023. A gang member of Lawrence Bishnoi took responsibility for the murder
