Lawrence Bishnoi’s cousin details gangster’s life: ‘Wore expensive clothes, shoe; family spends ₹35-40 lakh annually’

Lawrence Bishnoi's family reportedly spends ₹35-40 lakh annually to take care of the gangster as he is in jail, the gangster's 50-year-old cousin claimed. These details have emerged days after the NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was murdered in a shootout by three armed men on October 12 night that took place outside son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai's upscale Bandra.

Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, is a law graduate from the Punjab University. Speaking about 31-year-old gang leader's career decision, Lawrence Bishnoi 's cousin Ramesh Bishnoi said the family ‘never imagined’ that Lawrence Bishnoi would go on to become a criminal, The Indian Express reported.

“We have always been wealthy. Lawrence's father was a constable in the Haryana Police and owns 110 acres (of land) in our village. Lawrence always wore expensive clothes and shoes. In fact, even now, the family spends ₹35-40 lakh annually on him in jail,” The Indian Express quoted Ramesh as saying.

All you need to know about Lawrence Bishnoi

Lawrence Bishnoi, connected with several high-profile cases, was born in Punjab's Firozpur. The gangster's real name is Balkaran Brar, who faces multiple criminal charges, including murder and extortion. He reportedly took the name ‘Lawrence’ during his school years, following his aunt's recommendation who felt the latter name ‘sounded better.’

It is believed that Baba Siddique's friendship with Salman Khan played a decisive role in the politician's murder. Notably, the Bollywood actor received death threats following the Maharashtra politician's murder.

Another notable development that came this week was the Canadian Police' accusations against members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Canadian government alleged that the gang were carrying out ‘violent’ activities in the north American country in 'collaboration' with ‘agents’ of the Indian government. However, India denied these allegations and said Canada has not yet provided evidence in the Nijjar killing.

Lawrence Bishnoi has been in jail since 2015 and is being probed by the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in multiple cases. The Union home ministry issued an order in August last year, to prevent the gangster's release from jail regardless of the purpose. The order was extended by another year in August.