Anmol Bishnoi, the younger sibling of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was arrested in the US a few days ago for entering that country with illegal documents, sources told NDTV. The 26-year-old is wanted in several high-profile cases, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. He is also accused in last month’s killing of ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai home in June 2024.

Bishnoi is currently at the Pottawattamie County Jail in Iowa, a facility known as the ‘Squirrel Cage Jail.’

All about the Squirrel Cage Jail

The Squirrel Cage Jail, an architectural marvel with a chilling history, was constructed in 1885 on the grounds of a former church morgue. One of the only three remaining revolving jails in the US, it is renowned for its eerie and unsettling design. The jail is unique for its rotating cells that revolve within a circular structure to align with a single door. This peculiar design allowed jailers to rotate the cells to reach the desired prisoner, an architectural feature that continues to intrigue and unsettle visitors.

The facility was used as a jail until 1969. In 1971, it was acquired by the Council Bluffs Park Board for preservation and transformed into a museum by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County (HSPS). Since its conversion, the jail has attracted considerable attention, particularly for its paranormal reputation. Reports of strange occurrences, such as unexplained footsteps and whispers, have surfaced for decades, particularly from staff and visitors to the site.

“Many of the jail staff and volunteers have heard footsteps, voices, whispers and doors moving. Some have even seen dark shadows moving across the stairs or past doorways,” an article on the Council Bluffs website quoted Kat Slaughter, the museum’s manager, as saying.

The haunting at the jail has been linked to a series of tragic events over the years. At least four known deaths occurred within the building. A prisoner died of a heart attack, another fell from a great height while attempting to carve his name on the ceiling, a third died by suicide and a guard was fatally shot during a mishap with riot training equipment.

Paranormal experts have conducted multiple investigations at the site, with some capturing unexplained phenomena, including Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) and visual evidence of shadows. Slaughter notes that investigators have recorded electromagnetic field (EMF) anomalies in areas where there should be none, further adding to the jail’s mystique.

According to the HSPS, the walls of this jail bear the scratched signatures and dates of many of its infamous prisoners. These markings stand as proof of the jail’s grim past, which is unlikely to be replicated in a modern facility, stated HSPS on its website.

Anmol Bishnoi, the younger sibling of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was arrested in the US a few days ago for entering that country with illegal documents, sources told NDTV. The 26-year-old is wanted in several high-profile cases, including the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. He is also accused in last month’s killing of ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and the firing incident outside actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai home in June 2024.

Bishnoi is currently at the Pottawattamie County Jail in Iowa, a facility known as the ‘Squirrel Cage Jail.’

All about the Squirrel Cage Jail

The Squirrel Cage Jail, an architectural marvel with a chilling history, was constructed in 1885 on the grounds of a former church morgue. One of the only three remaining revolving jails in the US, it is renowned for its eerie and unsettling design. The jail is unique for its rotating cells that revolve within a circular structure to align with a single door. This peculiar design allowed jailers to rotate the cells to reach the desired prisoner, an architectural feature that continues to intrigue and unsettle visitors.

The facility was used as a jail until 1969. In 1971, it was acquired by the Council Bluffs Park Board for preservation and transformed into a museum by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County (HSPS). Since its conversion, the jail has attracted considerable attention, particularly for its paranormal reputation. Reports of strange occurrences, such as unexplained footsteps and whispers, have surfaced for decades, particularly from staff and visitors to the site.

“Many of the jail staff and volunteers have heard footsteps, voices, whispers and doors moving. Some have even seen dark shadows moving across the stairs or past doorways,” an article on the Council Bluffs website quoted Kat Slaughter, the museum’s manager, as saying.

The haunting at the jail has been linked to a series of tragic events over the years. At least four known deaths occurred within the building. A prisoner died of a heart attack, another fell from a great height while attempting to carve his name on the ceiling, a third died by suicide and a guard was fatally shot during a mishap with riot training equipment.

Paranormal experts have conducted multiple investigations at the site, with some capturing unexplained phenomena, including Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) and visual evidence of shadows. Slaughter notes that investigators have recorded electromagnetic field (EMF) anomalies in areas where there should be none, further adding to the jail’s mystique.

According to the HSPS, the walls of this jail bear the scratched signatures and dates of many of its infamous prisoners. These markings stand as proof of the jail’s grim past, which is unlikely to be replicated in a modern facility, stated HSPS on its website.

New Delhi:

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol was detained last week in the US due to a “local reason” and not in any case related to India, sources said today. Some deficiencies were found in his documents, the sources added.

Anmol Bishnoi – wanted for the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique and firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s home in Mumbai – was caught in California’s Sacramento last Thursday.

It is not yet clear whether he is still in police custody or not.

The younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi – accused of running a criminal syndicate despite being in jail in Ahmedabad – is believed to be staying in Canada and, sources say, he visits the US frequently.

Earlier this month, the Mumbai police sent a proposal to the centre for the extradition of Anmol Bishnoi, who was named in a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the National Investigation Agency or NIA, sources said.

According to the sources in the intelligence agencies, there is currently no possibility of Anmol Bishnoi being brought to India.

In October, the Mumbai police approached a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court, intending to “initiate the extradition procedure of fugitive criminal Anmol Bishnoi”.

The country’s counter-terrorism law enforcement agency NIA recently announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information on Anmol Bishnoi. A lookout circular was also issued against him in April after he claimed responsibility for the firing incident outside Salman Khan’s home.

An FIR was also registered by the NIA against nine accused, including the Bishnoi brothers – who are from Fazilka in Punjab – in August 2022 for being part of a conspiracy to “raise funds, recruit youth to carry out terrorist acts in the Union Territory of Delhi and other parts of the country” besides “targeted killings of prominent persons”

New Delhi:

Shiv Kumar Gautam, the main accused in the murder case of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, has made big revelations during police interrogation. The 20-year-old was arrested along with his four aides from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich on Sunday while he was trying to flee to Nepal. He is among the three shooters who shot dead Mr Siddique outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai on October 12.

During interrogation, he told the police that Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had told him to shoot the 66-year-old NCP leader or his son, Zeeshan, police sources said.

“Shoot whoever you see first,” Anmol apparently told Shiv Kumar.

Before carrying out the murder, Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in Canada and is also on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency, had given a pep talk to Shiv Kumar.

Mumbai police crime branch sources said Anmol told him what he was going to do was for “God and the society.”

A picture of Zeeshan Siddique, 32, was reportedly found on a cell phone seized from one of the three men who shot his father.

Shiv Kumar Gautam Changed Clothes After Baba Siddique Murder

After killing Baba Siddique, Shiv Kumar Gautam immediately changed his shirt and disappeared into the crowd so that no one could identify him, Mumbai police crime branch sources.

He then stayed near the crime scene to avoid any confrontation.

The 20-year-old then initially travelled from the crime scene to Kurla in an auto and then boarded a local train to Thane, sources said.

From Thane, he took a train to Pune and dumped his mobile phone during the journey.

Shiv Kumar stayed in Pune for about seven days and then went to Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi by train. He then stayed there for five days and went to the state capital Lucknow.

In Lucknow, he bought a new mobile and contacted his aides. After spending 11 days there, he travelled to his native Bahraich and met his aides, who had arranged a safehouse for him in a nearby village.

Shiv Kumar also said that after killing Baba Siddique, he first planned to go to Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain and then to Vaishno Devi in Jammu before fleeing the country.

How Cops Caught Shiv Kumar Gautam

The police traced about 45 people, including Shiv Kumar Gautam’s family members and his close aides, and tracked their movements after Baba Siddique’s murder.

During the investigation, they zeroed down to four people who were constantly in contact with Shiv Kumar, police sources said.

The police then laid a trap and waited for those four accused to meet Shiv Kumar. They then caught him from the Nanpara area of Bahraich on Sunday.

He was arrested in a joint operation by the police officials of Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.

Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava and Akhileshendra Pratap Singh were also arrested for giving shelter to Shiv Kumar and helping him escape to Nepal.

The police have so far arrested 20 in the case.

Baba Siddique was murdered apparently because of his close relationship with actor Salman Khan. Lawrence Bishnoi’s associates have hinted that the grouse against Mr Khan is about the blackbucks he killed 20 years ago. Blackbucks are sacred to the Bishnoi community.

The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has begun the extradition process to bring back Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who is wanted in the firing case outside actor Salman Khan’s house, from the US.

A special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) cases has issued a non-bailable warrant for Anmol Bishnoi’s arrest, said police sources. They said they are waiting for certain court documents to complete the formalities, after which a formal proposal will be sent to the central government for further action.

A red corner notice has also been issued for his search abroad, the sources added.

The crime branch started the extradition process reportedly after the US alerted his presence there. Earlier, he was believed to be in Canada.

The National Investigation Agency – India’s anti-terror agency – had added Anmol Bishnoi to its most-wanted list last month. A reward of Rs 10 lakh was also announced for his arrest.

The Bishnoi gang – which shot to the spotlight after the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 – came back in the headlines after the firing incident outside Salman Khan’s Bandra house in April. Security was tightened at his house after the incident as threats continued to pour – in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi – over the 1998 blackbuck hunting case.

Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi, and Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar were named as accused in the firing case. In a nine-minute speech to instill courage in the shooters, Anmol had told them they were going to “script history”, the police said in its chargesheet.

The Bishnoi gang is also being probed for the murder of politician Baba Siddique -known to be close to Salman Khan – last month.

In 2022, the Bishnoi brothers -among others – were accused of being part of a conspiracy to raise funds and recruit youth for “terrorist acts” in Delhi and other parts of the country.

New Delhi:

Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother Anmol has shot into the spotlight after he was added to the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency and a Rs 10 lakh reward was announced for his arrest. His name has cropped up in several cases, including the murder of Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra in April and the killing of politician Baba Siddique earlier this month. 

Chargesheets were filed against Anmol Bishnoi, who is from Fazilka in Punjab, in two cases registered by the NIA in 2022 and he fled India on a fake passport last year. He is believed to be in Canada.  

Anmol has at least 18 cases against him and allegedly provided weapons and logistical support to the men who gunned down Sidhu Moosewala near his village Moosa in Punjab’s Mansa district on June 29, 2022. Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Goldy Brar had taken responsibility for the killing and later claimed that it was carried out to avenge the murder of Vicky Muddukhera, a Youth Akali Dal leader. 

The responsibility for the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence, Galaxy Apartments in Bandra, was claimed by Anmol Bishnoi. A chargesheet filed in the case said that before the firing on April 14, Bishnoi delivered a nine-minute speech to motivate the shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, telling them that they were on course to create history. 

“Lord Ram has blessed us. We will handle him (Salman Khan). There is no problem, as long as it is in my control, I don’t have any problem,” he told the shooters. 

“Now it is do or die, either life or death. It is written by God. Either the bullets will be fired in the morning or we will sit at home. It is in your hands what to do and what not to do..,  If you work, then history will be created. You will fill the newspapers,” he said. 

The chargesheet had said the plan had been conceived in August last year and finetuned until it was finally carried out in April.

In July, a court in Mumbai had issued a non-bailable warrant against Anmol Bishnoi. 

Former Maharashtra minister and three-time MLA Baba Siddique was shot dead on Dussehra on October 12 outside the office of his son and MLA Zeeshan Siddique. Officials have said Anmol Bishnoi was in touch with the shooters in this case as well.

Two of the shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh were arrested soon after the killing while Shiv Kumar Gautam, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, is on the run.

New Delhi:

Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been added to the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources said.

The anti-terror agency has also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for the arrest of Anmol Bishnoi, who is wanted in connection with a shooting incident that occurred outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence earlier this year.

Anmol, Lawrence Bishnoi – who is currently lodged in the Sabarmati central prison in Ahmedabad – and Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar were among the persons named as accused in the case related to the firing outside Mr Khan’s Bandra residence in Mumbai in April.

ALSO READ | Lawrence Bishnoi Has 700 Shooters On Call. How He Operates From Jail

The Navi Mumbai police had in this case arrested five Bishnoi gang members – Dhananjay alias Ajay Kashyap alias Nahvi, Gaurav Bhatia, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna, Rizwan Khan alias Javed, and Deepak Hawa Singh alias John.

After the arrests, police in June also claimed to have uncovered a plot to target the actor on his way to his farmhouse near Panvel in Navi Mumbai.

The name of Anmol Bishnoi had also cropped up in the murder case of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. The 66-year-old NCP leader was shot dead by three persons in Mumbai, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office, on October 12.

Anmol Bishnoi’s Speech To Shooters In Salman Khan House Firing

On the night of April 14, Mumbai’s Bandra neighbourhood was rocked by the sound of gunfire as two men on motorbikes fired multiple rounds outside Salman Khan’s residence.

A detailed chargesheet shed light on the events leading up to the attack on the actor’s house and revealed a long conversation between Anmol Bishnoi — who is reportedly operating from outside the country — and the shooters involved.

A 9-minute-long speech by Anmol Bishnoi was aimed at instilling courage in the shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, as they prepared to “script history” with their violent act.

ALSO READ | “Either Bullets Will Be Fired Or…”: Details In Salman Khan House Firing

According to the chargesheet, the plan was hatched over several months, from August 2023 to April 2024.

Investigations have revealed that the Bishnoi gang intended to acquire advanced firearms from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkish-made Zigana pistol, the weapon used in the murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022.

According to the chargesheet, a network of approximately 60 to 70 individuals was involved in tracking Mr Khan’s every movement. This extensive surveillance covered his residence in Mumbai, his Panvel farmhouse, and even the Goregaon Film City, which he often visited for film shoots.

New Delhi:

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi had given a nine-minute “motivational” speech to the shooters who fired multiple shots at the Bollywood actor Salman’ Khans Mumbai home in April.

According to the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police’s crime branch, which NDTV accessed, Anmol Bishnoi had told the two shooters – Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal – that they would “script history” when they would attack the actor’s residence.

The two motorbike-borne individuals, Gupta and Pal, had fired multiple shots outside Mr Khan’s home in Galaxy Apartment in Bandra on the morning of April 14.

ALSO READ | Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Wanted To Kill Me And My Family: Salman Khan To Cops

In the speech, which was given through an audio note, Anmol Bishnoi told both the shooters – currently in judicial custody in connection with the case – that they were going to do the “best work” of their lives. 

“Do this work well. After the work is completed, you guys will script history,” he told the shooters, according to the 1,735-page chargesheet filed before a special court in Mumbai.

Anmol Bishnoi also encouraged Gupta and Pal by saying they would do “religious work”. 

“Do not be afraid at all while doing this work. Doing this work means bringing a change in the society,” he said.

He also told Gupta and Pal that the Bishnoi gang has a “style that whenever we go to do any work, we empty the magazine of the gun”. 

“You also empty the magazine when you reach outside Salman Khan’s house,” he said in the audio note.

“Firing Should Scare Salman Khan”

“Fire shots in such a manner that it scares Salman Khan” — this was also the blunt message given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother Anmol to one of the gunmen involved in the shooting.

Bishnoi, the chargesheet says, told Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal not to wear helmets and smoke cigarettes to appear fearless.

Anmol Bishnoi was in constant touch with Gupta and Pal before the shooting, the police have found. 

The shooters and three others, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohammad Rafiq Choudhary, and Harpal Singh, have been arrested and are currently in judicial custody.

Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol, and one Rawtaran Bishnoi are the wanted accused in the chargesheet. 

Anmol is believed to be in Canada and a lookout circular has been issued against him.

Mumbai:

Salman Khan should get scared: this is what gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol had told the shooters who fired multiple shots at the actor’s Mumbai home on April 14, police have found.

In its 1,735-page chargesheet filed before a special court, Crime Branch has mentioned audio clips of conversations between the shooters and Anmol Bishnoi ahead of the firing. Bishnoi, the chargesheet says, told shooters Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal to not wear helmets and smoke cigarettes to appear fearless.

The chargesheet also mentions Salman Khan’s statement, in which he has said that his family is in danger of being attacked by Anmol Bishnoi. In their conversations over Signal app, Anmol Bishnoi instructed the shooters to fire multiple shots targeting the actor’s home, the chargesheet says. “Fire in a way that Bhai (Salman) gets scared, keep smoking so that you appear fearless on (CCTV) camera,” he said.

The chargesheet says Anmol Bishnoi was in constant touch with Gupta and Pal before the shooting. The police have also said that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is now in jail, had spoken to the shooters. Anmol, the chargesheet says, told the shooters that if they are successful, they will “create history” and their name will appear in media.

The shooters and three others, Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohammad Rafiq Choudhary and Harpal Singh, have been arrested and are currently in judicial custody.

Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol and one Rawtaran Bishnoi are the wanted accused in the chargesheet. Anmol is believed to be in Canada and a lookout circular has been issued against him.

Mumbai:

A new charge sheet filed against five accused of plotting to assassinate Bollywood actor Salman Khan has revealed chilling details. According to the Navi Mumbai Police, the accused, associated with the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, have been charged with conspiracy to murder and other grave offences. 

On April 14, Two men on motorbikes fired multiple rounds outside Mr Khan’s residence in Bandra, leading to the arrest of several individuals.

According to the charge sheet, the Bishnoi gang had issued a contract worth Rs 25 lakh to assassinate the actor. The plan was hatched over several months, from August 2023 to April 2024. Investigations have revealed that the gang intended to acquire advanced firearms from Pakistan, including AK-47s, AK-92s, M16 rifles, and the Turkish-made Zigana pistol, the weapon used in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala on May 29, 2022.

The conspiracy wasn’t merely confined to acquiring weapons; it extended to a well-orchestrated surveillance operation. According to the charge sheet, a network of approximately 60 to 70 individuals was involved in tracking Mr Khan’s every movement. This extensive surveillance covered his residence in Mumbai, his Panvel farmhouse, and even the Goregaon Film City, where he often visited for film shoots.

The charge sheet claims that boys below the age of 18 were recruited to execute the assassination. These minors were reportedly waiting for orders from Goldie Brar and Anmol Bishnoi, key figures in the gang believed to be operating from North America, to initiate the attack.

A day after the shooting incident outside Mr Khan’s home, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met with the actor and assured all help.

“The government is with you, I have told Salman Khan. Both the accused have been arrested. They will be interrogated. We will get to the root of the case. Nobody will be spared. Nobody should targeted this way,” Eknath Shinde told reporters outside the actor’s home.

“No gang or gang war will be allowed. We won’t allow this to happen. We will finish (Lawrence) Bishnoi,” he added.