“NIA Takes Down Lawrence Bishnoi Gang’s Ill-Gotten Gains: Four Properties Seized”
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) continues its relentless pursuit of dismantling the nexus between gangsters, terrorists, and smugglers. In a recent development, the agency has attached four properties associated with Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The attached properties, as per NIA, are deemed as the proceeds of terrorism and have been utilized for hatching terror plots and carrying out serious criminal activities. These properties, comprising three immovable assets and one movable asset, are located in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
Among the seized assets is a flat in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, owned by Vikas Singh, an alleged accomplice of Lawrence Bishnoi. Singh is accused of harboring terrorists involved in the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Headquarters in May 2022. Additionally, two assets owned by Dalip Kumar in Fazilka, Punjab, were being used as a shelter and warehouse for storing weapons and harboring gang members. The movable property, a Fortuner car, belongs to Joginder Singh in Yamunanagar, Haryana, who facilitated the gang by allowing the use of his vehicle for transporting arms and ammunition.
The NIA’s investigations into the organized crime syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates have been ongoing since August 2022. The gang, with a reach spanning multiple states, has been implicated in high-profile crimes, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and religious leaders like Pardeep Kumar. The group is also accused of extensive extortion activities targeting businessmen and professionals.
The agency revealed that many of these terror conspiracies were orchestrated from abroad, involving countries such as Pakistan and Canada, or were directed by leaders of organized terror syndicates operating from prisons across India.
In a recent move, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated Satwinder Singh alias Goldy Brar, based in Canada and serving as Bishnoi’s deputy, as a “terrorist” under the UAPA.
Lawrence Bishnoi, a prominent figure among north India-based gangsters, commands a vast network of around 700 members in his syndicate, making him a key focus of the NIA’s efforts. Despite being in prison since 2015, Bishnoi continues to wield influence and faces multiple cases in courts, leading to his frequent transfers between Delhi and Punjab jails.