New Delhi:

Lawrence Bishnoi, the alleged mastermind behind the killings of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala, was arrested for the first time about 13 years ago when he set fire to some vehicles in Chandigarh after a fight with a student leader.

Bishnoi, who was involved in student politics at Panjab University back then, was in police custody for a day, former Chandigarh inspector Amanjot Singh told NDTV on Tuesday.

A son of a police constable in Punjab, he was only 18 when he set vehicles parked outside Sector 11 in Chandigarh on fire, the officer said.

“He was very innocent at that time. When the police used to arrest him, he sometimes called the officials uncle or sir,” Mr Singh said.

“He did whatever his party leadership told him,” Mr Singh said, adding that he “never thought” that Bishnoi would become “such a big gangster”.

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Mr Singh, who arrested the 31-year-old dreaded gangster numerous times, said that when Bishnoi was arrested for the sixth time, he had said that the “police of 7-8 states will search” for him.

Lawrence Bishnoi first grabbed headlines when he publicly threatened to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan in 2018, accusing him of allegedly poaching two blackbuck antelopes – a revered animal for Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community to which he belongs.

During a court appearance in Jodhpur, Bishnoi said, “We will kill Salman Khan. Everyone will know once we take action.”

Incidentally, Baba Siddique, who was shot dead by three persons in Mumbai last month, was known to be Salman Khan’s close friend.

Bishnoi is also the prime accused in the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead in Punjab in 2022.

“Lawrence Bishnoi Transformed In Jail”

Mr Singh said that Lawrence Bishnoi initially worked on his party leadership’s instructions but later “transformed” in the jail.

“Initially, he kept working on his party leadership’s instructions. But when he kept going to jail, his transformation happened very fast. He came in contact with big gangsters and his influence kept increasing,” he said.

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“When he kept going to jail again and again, there were some prisoners in the jail, who had committed big crimes, who felt that there was something special about Bishnoi. They then started using him,” Mr Singh said.

They took him under their protection because they knew that Bishnoi was going to get bail, he added.

Lawrence Bishnoi Met His “Mentor” Rocky Fazilka In Jail

Lawrence Bishnoi considered gangster Ranjit Jasvinder Singh, alias Rocky Fazilka, as his mentor, Amanjot Singh said.

“When Lawrence Bishnoi went to Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh, he met another gangster Ranjit Singh “Dupla”, who was very close to Rocky Fazilka. He was the one who introduced him to Fazilka,” Mr Singh said.

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Rocky Fazilka, a resident of Punjab’s Ferozepur, was impressed by Bishnoi and took him under his custody.

As their villages were nearby, they became close aides, Mr Singh said.

Bishnoi has been in prison since 2015 and is currently lodged in Gujarat.

Untouched Delhi:

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, an accused within the homicide of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala, has been shifted to the high-security ward in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Prison in reference to a Rs 195-crore medication case.

He used to be lodged in Delhi’s notorious Tihar Prison earlier than being passed over to the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in April for allegedly smuggling medication from Pakistan.

On September 14 terminating past, the Gujarat ATS, in a joint operation with the Indian Coast Preserve, intercepted a Pakistani fishing boat mid-sea close the Jakhau harbour in Gujarat’s Kutch district and seized 40 kg of heroin, reportedly usefulness just about Rs 200 crore.

Six Pak nationals, who had been at the boat named ‘Al Tayyasa’, had been additionally arrested, reported information company PTI.

Investigations unmistakable the heroin used to be to be despatched to Delhi and Punjab through highway with the assistance of 2 Delhi citizens, who had been intended to obtain the contraband. The 2 had been nearest arrested.

The medicine had been being smuggled as a part of a racket run through two traffickers, together with a Nigerian nationwide, lately lodged in Punjab’s jails, the Gujarat Police had stated.

The Gujarat Police discovered the function of 1 Republic of India Bhushan alias Bhola Shooter – a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – within the 2021 Morbi drug seizure, PTI reported. Bhushan, who died pace being in prison just lately, used to be allegedly operating the drug community from throughout the prison in Punjab.