Lawrence Bishnoi real name: Despite spending over a decade in prison, Lawrence Bishnois criminal empire has continued to expand, reveals the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its 128-page chargesheet filed in March 2023. This document, part of an ongoing case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against Bishnoi and 15 associates, traces his rise from student politics to becoming one of Indias most feared gangsters.Story of horse auctionIn 2021, when a Delhi Police team tracked down murder suspect Mohammad Shahrukh, an associate of Bishnoi, they stumbled upon an unexpected connection. Shahrukh had attended a horse auction in Punjabs Sangrur district, where bids reached astonishing figures—Rs 95 lakh by a local baba and Rs 90 lakh by a representative of actor Salman Khan. When the baba won, Shahrukh allegedly extorted Rs 1 crore from him. This incident further unveiled the Bishnoi gangs close monitoring of Salman Khan, driven by their long-standing obsession with the actor over his involvement in a 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The gang has continued to threaten Khan, with recent incidents including firing outside his house in November 2023 and the killing of his close friend, NCP leader Baba Siddique, in October.Bishnois expansion of criminal webBishnois involvement in several high-profile crimes over the past two years has grabbed national headlines, from the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 to allegations from Canada that the Indian government is collaborating with his gang to spread terror on Canadian soil, claims India denies. Despite being incarcerated since 2014, Bishnois network is vast. The NIA chargesheet details how his criminal operations have grown, even likening his rise to that of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Bishnoi now reportedly oversees a gang of 700 operatives, 300 of whom hail from his home state, Punjab.What is the real name of Lawrence BishnoiBorn Balkaran Brar, Bishnoi adopted the name Lawrence while still in school, reportedly at the suggestion of his paternal aunt. His family, which owns 110 acres of land in Punjabs Fazilka district, never imagined he would become a notorious gangster. His cousin, Ramesh, expressed disbelief, stating, “Our family has always been wealthy. His father was a constable in the Haryana Police, and Bishnoi always wore expensive clothes. His family still spends Rs 35-40 lakh annually on him in jail.”Bishnois criminal journey began in 2008, when he was first arrested for firing at a rival during student elections at Panjab University (PU). His police dossier reveals that 18 of the 84 cases registered against him were from his college days, where he was deeply involved in the violent politics of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU). His alliances with other notorious figures, such as Sampat Nehra and Goldy Brar, furthered his descent into crime.A decade of his life behind barsThough locked up, Bishnoi has maintained control of his gang through key associates like Goldy Brar, who took over operations while Bishnoi remained in jail. His ambitions remain undeterred, as he stated in 2023, “I have been in jail for the last 10 years, and its very unlikely that I will come out now. I want to become the Number 1 criminal in the country.”
