(Image source from: PTI)

The police have arrested seven individuals associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who are linked to the shooting incident outside Bollywood star Salman Khan's home and the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui. The arrests were made across multiple states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Six semi-automatic weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation, which the Delhi Police's Special Cell has described as a "pan-India" action. The arrested individuals are being interrogated about Baba Siddiqui's murder and other criminal activities of the Bishnoi gang, which has also been linked to "agents" of the Indian government and cases of homicide and extortion. The sources reveal that the Bishnoi gang shooters had been given a list of targets, including individuals in Haryana and Rajasthan, with one target in Rajasthan having been approved by Arzoo Bishnoi. The arrests of these seven hitmen, along with others connected to the Baba Siddiqui murder, the Salman Khan shooting, and the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022, are just the beginning of a larger criminal network controlled by Lawrence Bishnoi from his prison cell in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail.

The Kshatriya Karni Sena, a Rajput group, has offered a cash reward of ₹ 1.11 lakh for the 'encounter' death of a gangster. This comes after the killing of a prominent Rajput leader, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, in December. Eight members of the Bishnoi gang were arrested in that case, but one of his trusted aides, Rohit Godara, who planned the hit, escaped to Canada, where the Bishnoi gang has a strong base. The police have arrested over a dozen other Bishnoi gangsters, including two of the three shooters, in connection with the killing of Baba Siddiqui. The main shooter, Shivkumar Gautam, and two other persons involved in the murder conspiracy are still on the run. The three shooters used chilli powder to blind the police officer guarding Siddique before killing him. The two arrested individuals have been identified as Gurmel Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana and Dharmaraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh. The Navi Mumbai Police have also arrested another Bishnoi shooter, named Sukha, from Panipat in Haryana.

Rohit Godara is the target. Vishal is also being sought for his involvement in the murder of a businessman in Gurguram in March. Assignments of Indian and foreign assistants are made through agents, including Bishnoi's brother Anmol, who was offered a reward of ₹10 crore by the NIA today. Anmol Bishnoi is wanted in connection with a shooting outside Salman Khan's house. Bisnoi gangs are known to be involved in a variety of criminal activities, including murder, extortion and arms smuggling, and have grown in size in recent years. The group mainly extorts money from high-profile individuals like Punjabi singers, celebrities like the liquor mafia and other prominent businessmen by employing professional gunmen to carry out attacks and terrorize the victims. In addition to his army of assassins, Bishnoi has separate teams that deal with logistics, legal issues, and gather information on his rivals, enemies, and targets.