Veteran Maharashtra politician and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique was waylaid by three persons at Kher Nagar in Bandra area of Maharashtra's Mumbai just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot dead on Saturday, October 12, night.
A viral post on social media in the name of an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder Baba Siddique, a close friend of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Baba Siddique, a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, was also known to be close to several other stars, including Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
The murder of Baba Siddique has raised alarm over the growing influence of criminal networks with the Mumbai police linking the incident to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that hit headlines for its involvement in several other high-profile cases, including threats to Salman Khan.
Some Bishnoi gang members had been held in connection with the firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai in April this year.
Who is Lawrence Bishnoi
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is currently lodged in Sabarmati Central jail where he was shifted to from Delhi's Tihar Jail in August 2023 in connection with a case of cross-border smuggling of drugs. He has dozens of cases registered against him and had also claimed responsibility for the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022.
While Bishnoi is in jail, his gang's operations are overseen by three wanted gangsters based abroad-- Goldy Brar, Rohit Godar and his brother Anmol Bishnoi. As per National Investigation Agency's (NIA) chargesheet, the terror syndicate has expanded significantly, similar to how Dawood Ibrahim built his network in the 1990s, beginning with minor crimes.
As per information in reports, 31-year-old Lawrence Bishnoi, 31, hails from a well-to-do agricultural family in Dhattaranwali village of Punjab’s Ferozepur district.
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He entered the world of student politics while studying at Chandigarh’s DAV College, becoming the president of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) from 2011 to 2012. Bishnoi’s criminal record began in his student years, with cases related to attempted murder, trespass, and robbery, all linked to campus politics.
Over time, Bishnoi’s influence grew, and his group began to collaborate with known criminals, such as Jaswinder Singh alias Rocky, a gangster-turned-politician. The group operated in parts of Rajasthan and Punjab, with gang rivalries often leading to violent confrontations.
Bishnoi now faces over two dozen cases, including murder, extortion, and drug trafficking.
The Lawrence Bishnoi Gang And Its High-Profile Targets
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been linked to several severe crimes, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. In a purported social media post, gang member Goldy Brar, who operates from Canada, claimed responsibility for Moose Wala's assassination, calling it a revenge killing tied to the murder of Akali Dal youth leader Vicky Middukhera. Goldy Brar has since been declared a terrorist by the Indian government.
In recent months, the gang has reportedly shifted its focus toward Bollywood, particularly targeting Salman Khan.
The Bishnoi gang's enmity with Salman Khan is linked to the 1998 blackbuck hunting the actor was accused of.
Salman Khan along with actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Sonali Bendre allegedly hunted two blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) in the Kankani village of western Rajasthan in September 1998 while shooting for the movie Hum Saath Saath Hain.
The Bishnoi community is known for their strong connection to nature and protecting wildlife. For them, harming animals is not just a crime but also goes against their deeply held beliefs. In Jodhpur, the Bishnois consider the blackbuck to be the reincarnation of their religious leader, Guru Bhagwan Jambeshwar, also called Jambaji. The origins of the Bishnoi community is believed to be going as far in the past as the late 15th Century.
The Growing Threat of the Bishnoi Gang
An Indian Express report mentions police officials warn that the Bishnoi gang is filling the vacuum left by the neutralisation of Mumbai’s once-dominant underworld, including figures like Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan. Though historically active in northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, the gang is now believed to be extending its reach to Maharashtra.
The Mumbai police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Pune who along with his brother “enlisted” two of the three alleged shooters in the Baba Siddique murder case, an official said.
Police identified the man as, Pravin Lonkar, a “co-conspirator” and said they are on the lookout of his brother Shubham Lonkar. This is the third arrest in the case of Siddique's murder.
A crime branch official on Sunday said Pravin and Shubham “enlisted” two alleged shooters - UP resident Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam.
While Gautam is on the run, police have arrested Kashyap and another alleged shooter, identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a native of Haryana.
The official said police went to Pune looking for Shubham Lonkar but did not find him there. They then nabbed his brother Pravin for his alleged involvement in the crime, he said.
A Mumbai court on Sunday remanded Singh in police custody till October 21 and ordered a bone ossification test on Kashyap after he claimed he was a minor.
The ossification test was conducted in which it was proved Kashyap is not minor, an official said on Monday.
