New Delhi:

Seven ‘shooters’ working for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, linked to the gunfire outside Bollywood star Salman Khan’s home and the murder of ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui, have been arrested – across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi – over the past 48 hours, sources told NDTV Friday.

Six semi-automatic weapons and ammunition were recovered in what Delhi Police’s Special Cell has claimed as “pan-India” action. The hitmen are being interrogated about Baba Siddiqui’s murder and other operations of the Bishnoi gang, which has also been named by Canadian federal police as having links to “agents” of the Indian government and cases of homicide and extortion.

Sources said the Bishnoi gang shooters – the first arrest was made on Wednesday – had been given a list of targets, including one (as yet unidentified) person in Haryana. Another possible (also as yet unidentified) target was in Rajasthan, and his execution had been cleared by Arzoo Bishnoi.

The arrest of the seven hitmen, and others in connection with the Baba Siddiqui murder, Salman Khan firing, and killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022 – is only the tip of a vast criminal syndicate run by Lawrence Bishnoi from his prison cell in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail.

Rs 1.11 Lakh ‘Bounty’ On Bishnoi

Bishnoi’s infamy led to an ironic twist of fate this week after the Kshatriya Karni Sena, a Rajput group, offered a cash reward of Rs 1.11 lakh for the ‘encounter’ death of the gangster.

That followed the killing of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, a prominent Rajput leader, in December.

READ | Rs 1.11 Lakh Cash: Karni Sena Offer For Bishnoi “Encounter”

Eight members of the Bishnoi gang were arrested in that case, but one of his trusted aides, Rohit Godara, who planned the hit, escaped. Intel said he fled India using a fake passport.

Unsurprisingly Godara is believed to be in Canada, where the Bishnoi gang has a strong base.

Baba Siddiqui Murder

Over a dozen other Bishnoi gangsters, including two of the three shooters, have been arrested in connection with the killing of Baba Siddiqui. The main shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, and two other persons involved in the murder conspiracy, are on the run, the police have said.

The three shooters threw chilli powder at the police officer guarding Siddique before killing him.

READ | Baba Siddiqui Shooters Threw Chilli Powder At Cop Guarding Ex-Minister

The two arrested have been identified as Gurmel Baljit Singh, 23, of Haryana and 19-year-old Dharmaraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh.

Salman Khan Firing Case

Last Thursday Navi Mumbai Police arrested another Bishnoi shooter – named Sukha – from Panipat in Haryana. And, among the other shooters involved, is one Vishal, who has links to Rohit Godara.

READ | Main Accused In Salman Khan’s Farmhouse Attack Arrested

Vishal is also wanted in connection with the killing of a Gurguram businessman in March.

How Bishnoi Gang Works

Orders to henchmen in India and abroad are routed through deputies, including Bishnoi’s brother Anmol, on whom the NIA today placed a Rs 10 lakh bounty.

Anmol Bishnoi is wanted in connection with the firing outside Salman Khan’s home.

READ | Rs 10 Lakh Bounty On Bishnoi’s Brother, Added To Most-Wanted List

The Bishnoi gang is known to be involved in various criminal activities, including homicide, extortion, and arms trafficking, and their profile has been on the rise over the past few years.

The group primarily extorts money from high-profile targets, including celebrities like Punjabi singers, the liquor mafia, and other prominent businessmen, employing professional shooters to carry out hits and intimidate victims into submission.

NDTV Explains | Bishnoi Has 700 Shooters. How He Operates From Jail

Apart from its army of hitmen Bishnoi is also known to have separate teams looking after logistics, dealing with legal issues, and gathering information on his rivals, enemies, and targets.

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Mumbai:

Investigation into the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique has revealed details of the planning behind the operation which included the acquisition of a substantial cache of bullets, YouTube firearms training, and the careful orchestration of getaway plans. The plotters aimed to ensure the murder was executed with precision, taking no chances on ammunition or escape routes.

So far, four individuals have been arrested, including Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters; Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23), and “co-conspirator” Pravin Lonkar, who belongs to Pune.

Nisad and Kashyap belong to the same village as the wanted accused Shivkumar Gautam. 

According to police sources, the accused responsible for Mr Siddique’s murder – Gurmail Singh (23) and Dharamaraj Kashyap (19) – were equipped with 65 bullets, a stockpile intended to guarantee they would not run out of ammunition. Six of these bullets were fired on the night of October 12, when Mr Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in the Nirmal Nagar area in Bandra.

Authorities have recovered two firearms used by the accused – an Austrian-made pistol and a locally manufactured country-made pistol. Alongside these weapons, police found 28 live bullets on Singh and Kashyap at the time of their arrest. The investigative team also discovered a black bag, located just a short distance from the murder site, containing a Turkish-made 7.62 bore pistol and 30 live rounds. This bag also held two Aadhar cards – one in the name of Shivkumar Gautam, who is also a suspect in the case, and another under the name Sumit Kumar, though both cards bore Shivkumar’s photo.

Motorbike Plan Foiled By Accident

According to the police, the accused had initially planned to carry out the attack using a motorbike. The idea was for the shooters to ride up to the location, execute the murder, and then escape quickly by bike. However, a traffic accident involving two of the suspects caused them to abandon this plan. Instead, the three perpetrators decided to travel by auto-rickshaw to the site of the crime. After the murder, they quickly changed their clothes to avoid detection.

Harishkumar Balakram Nisad, one of the arrested co-conspirators, had transferred Rs 60,000 for the purchase of a motorbike. Out of this amount, Rs 32,000 was used to buy a second-hand bike, which was intended to be used in the assassination.

Manhunt And Escape Attempts

The investigation has revealed the involvement of several suspects, with the prime accused, Shubham Lonkar, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who is still at large. Mumbai Police have issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Lonkar, who is believed to be attempting to flee to Nepal. His photographs have been circulated at the Nepal border in an effort to prevent his escape.

Lonkar had remained active on social media until just three days before the murder, with responsibility for Mr Siddique’s killing reportedly being claimed via his Facebook profile on October 9. His brother, Praveen Lonkar, has been arrested for allegedly providing financial support to the killers. 

Authorities have not yet managed to track down Shubham’s exact location, but intelligence suggests he may have been in contact with key criminal networks. 

YouTube Training And Firearm Mastery

According to the police, the shooters learned to operate guns by watching YouTube tutorials. In the weeks leading up to the murder, the accused rented a house in the Kurla area of Mumbai, where they practised loading, unloading, and handling weapons. Due to a lack of open space, they engaged in “dry practice” drills and rehearsing with unloaded guns.

Investigations also revealed that Shivkumar Gautam, another prime suspect, had experience with firearms from celebratory firings at weddings in Uttar Pradesh, where he is believed to have honed his shooting skills. Gautam, described as the “main shooter,” not only participated in the planning but also trained Kashyap and Singh in the handling of guns. The trio communicated frequently via social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, using these apps to stay under police radar while coordinating the assassination plan.

Shubham Lonkar, the key suspect on the run, was previously arrested in January under the Arms Act in Maharashtra’s Akola district. His arrest had led to the seizure of more than ten firearms.