India’s most notorious gangster wanted by Canada has been named in several cases in India

NEW DELHI: Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi may be infamous but he has his appeal. Unfortunately for some Indian online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms, selling gangster products with his image for as little as 200 rupees ($2.37) each has gotten them into trouble.

Maharashtra Cyber ​​Police said on November 7 that they had registered a case against sellers, along with online marketplaces such as Flipkart and Etsy, for selling T-shirts with images of Bishnoi, as well as against gangster Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted criminal .

Police say the merchandise glorifies a life of crime in young, impressionable minds.

“Such products, which glorify criminal figures, pose a significant risk to society as they promote a distorted image that could negatively impact young minds,” Maharashtra’s cyber department said in a press release on November 7.

“This type of idolatry of criminal elements not only erodes societal values, but also trivializes the serious crimes associated with these individuals.”

Flipkart and Etsy did not respond to a request for comment.

The increase in interest comes despite Bishnoi having been in prison for the past decade. He was catapulted to international infamy in mid-October when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian police named his criminal syndicate as the hired gun in an alleged plot by the Indian government to intimidate and kill Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.

Bishnoi’s criminal syndicate has also been linked to high-profile cases in India, including repeated death threats against Bollywood star Salman Khan and the murder of an Indian politician in Mumbai in October.

Those who have been following the 31-year-old gangster, who is currently in the western state of Gujarat on a drug trafficking ring, said Canada’s charges had elevated him to new heights of fame.

“It’s big, and it’s getting bigger,” said Dr. Ajai Sahni, founder and executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management.

From prison, Bishnoi is believed to run a network reportedly stretching from India to Canada, the US and Britain.

“In fact, his dramatic rise began after he went to prison in 2014. As for criminal syndicates operating from prison, it is not something that Lawrence Bishnoi invented, and it is not unique to India. It happens all over the world. It is the safest modus operandi. The organized criminal does not seek to challenge the authority of the state, and he will use intimidation, bribes and in principle be allowed to operate,” said Dr. Sahni.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), a federal counter-terrorism law enforcement agency, has linked him to Sikh separatist groups, although Bishnoi, who was born in Punjab, has said he opposes the creation of an independent Sikh state.

Sikh separatists want the separate state of Khalistan to be carved out of Punjab.

Bishnoi expressed his opposition in a TV interview he gave from prison in 2023, for which six Punjab police officials were suspended in October.

The officers provided a studio-like facility to facilitate the interview, the Punjab and Haryana High Court said, according to Indian legal news website Bar and Bench.

In Canada, the investigation began after the June 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb.

Trudeau accused Indian diplomats on October 16 of gathering information about Sikh separatists in Canada and passing it on to the “highest levels” of the Indian government. The information was passed on to criminal organizations such as Bishnoi’s gang, which has links in countries with significant numbers of people from Punjab.

India has repeatedly rejected Canada’s accusations, resulting in the deterioration of bilateral ties.

Instead, it says it has pending extradition requests for Canada to hand over members of gangs, including Bishnoi’s, so they can be prosecuted on terror charges.

Bishnoi was born into a wealthy family, which owns several properties and large tracts of land in Punjab, and is said to have been named after British educationist and army officer Henry Lawrence.

While studying in the city of Chandigarh, he became involved in student politics and was arrested more than once for violence. It is believed that from there he came into contact with criminal elements, which facilitated his transition into organized crime.

“Lawrence Bishnoi’s rise is a little different from others. This man was educated in Punjab, and he has no shortage of money – he has land and property. He is not one of those guys from the slums who turn it into some kind of underworld of Bombay,” said Yashovardhan Azad, former special director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau. Many gangsters in Mumbai’s underworld came from poor backgrounds.

Mumbai’s gangland was now in decline and controlled by its most notorious criminals, including Dawood Ibrahim, who faces several terror charges and is believed to have fled to Pakistan. In 2003, Dawood was declared a global terrorist by the US.

Criminal experts say Bishnoi may want to fill the vacuum left by Dawood, whose network weakened after his disappearance.

The Bishnoi syndicate was most likely behind the murder of Indian politician Baba Siddique, 66, who was shot dead near his son’s office in Mumbai on October 13. Twenty-three people have been arrested in connection with the case so far.

“His foray into Mumbai with the murder of Siddique appears to be aimed at ousting the remnants of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. If he does that, he will become number 1,” said Dr Sahni.

Bishnoi himself gained national attention in 2018 for threatening Bollywood star Salman Khan, who was accused of poaching two Blackbucks, an Indian antelope revered by the Bishnoi community to which the gangster belongs. The Bishnois, a Hindu religious sect, believe that the Blackbuck is the manifestation of their founder, Guru Maharaj Jambaji.

The threats have continued over the years. Suspected members of Bishnoi’s gang fired shots outside the Bollywood star’s home early this year, for which Bishnoi’s brother Anmol claimed responsibility.

Mumbai Police are reportedly planning to file extradition requests for Anmol Bishnoi from the US, where he was last seen at a wedding in April 2023. In October, Indian authorities announced a one million rupee ($15,900) reward ) for his arrest.

Lawrence Bishnoi is also accused of masterminding the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot near his village in May 2022, with police suspecting personal rivalry.

Over the years, Indian federal and state investigators have investigated Bishnoi and his gang – estimated at 700 strong – for their cross-border ties to terror groups and drug smuggling cartels.

In 2023, the NIA filed a chargesheet against 14 people, including Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi, accusing them of criminal conspiracy to carry out terror attacks or targeted killings of well-known social and religious leaders, film stars, singers and businessmen.

“Apart from having links with conspirators in Pakistan, the suspects were also in touch with pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, Nepal and other countries,” the NIA said in the chargesheet.

Yet Bishnoi’s lawyer has dismissed all allegations against his client, while also denying his links to terrorists.

“Nowadays, even when an ant is threatened, Lawrence’s name comes up. There are many FIRs. Nothing has been proven,” India Today quoted Rajni Khatri, identified as Bishnoi’s lawyer, in an October article. An FIR is the first information report filed by the police when a complaint is filed.

Agreeing that Bishnoi’s reputation sometimes precedes him, Azad noted, “When you become the king of the jungle, any stalking or fear is attributed to the king of the jungle. That’s happening now.” – The Straits Times/ANN