On 29 May 2022, when 30 bullets pierced the body of popular Punjabi rapper and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala, the Punjab Police pointed at a Canadian-affiliated gang. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang was charged with the assassination, while Canada-based Goldy Brar claimed to be the mastermind of the operation in a Facebook post. At the same time, the key role of two more associates — Sachin Thapan and Vikramjeet Singh — also surfaced.
Fast forward to 2024, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been making headlines again as the cycle of violence continued with the killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, who was shot dead near his son Zeeshan Siddique's office.
Throughout the years, the gang’s influence has stretched across continents, and Sachin Thapan Bishnoi and Vikramjeet Singh have been two notable associates involved in several key missions.
Who is Sachin Thapan?
Sachin Thapan Bishnoi is Lawrence Bishnoi’s nephew. He hails from Fazilka district of Punjab and is said to have a share in the farm and in the Bishnoi family’s village Duttaranwali.
In 2022, Thapan fled to Azerbaijan. According to a report in ThePrint citing security establishment, he planned to flee to Armenia through the Lachin corridor to eliminate rival Bambiha gang leader Lucky Patial and return to Baku before finally leaving for Serbia.
This plot was allegedly orchestrated under the direction of his uncle, Lawrence Bishnoi, amid ongoing gang rivalries, particularly with the Bambiha gang, which has intensified since the death of Davinder Bambiha in 2016.
However, when the news broke about Moosewala’s murder, Thapan was named one of the key suspects in the conspiracy. He reportedly tried to mislead investigators by claiming that he had shot Moosewala. In a statement, the Delhi Police had said that he fled from India on a fake passport and reached Azerbaijan, from where he conspired with other accomplices from the organised crime group located across Delhi and the neighbouring states.
Thapan was extradited to India in August 2023 and held for orchestrating Moosewala's murder, managing logistics, and maintaining contact with Goldy Brar, and booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Who is Vikramjeet Singh?
Vikramjeet Singh, also known as Vikram Brar, is closely allied with Lawrence Bishnoi and operates primarily between India and the UAE. Vikram’s role in the Bishnoi gang's operations often encompasses crimes like extortion and murder. A native of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, he was in charge of the handling of financial deals of Lawrence Bishnoi and providing the gang with logistics as directed.
He had been absconding since 2020 and was wanted in at least 11 cases of murder, attempt to murder and extortion under various sections of the IPC and the Arms Act. However, when his name came up in the Moosewala conspiracy case, Interpol issued a red corner notice against him. He reportedly managed a "communications control room" for the gang from the UAE, facilitating coordination among key members, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar during the Moosewala operation.
In July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him from IGI Airport. However, Brar was not named in the chargesheet filed by the Punjab police special investigation team (SIT) in the Moosewala case.
