New Delhi: The killing of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, a ‘Y’ security cover protectee, in Mumbai, has once again brought the spotlight on the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The 66-year-old died in hospital after being shot by three men in Mumbai’s Bandra East area at around 9.30 pm on Saturday.
Siddique also enjoyed close ties with Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who has been on the hit list of the Bishnoi gang since 1999. The politician has been pushing for enhanced security for Salman Khan ever since the actor began receiving threats.
Though the link of the Bishnoi gang has not been established yet, security agencies have found there has been an upswing in attacks carried out by gangs affiliated directly or indirectly with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently serving sentence in Sabarmati jail.
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The notorious Bishnoi gang has carried out attacks on several people not only in various cities in India but also in Canada. A few months ago, shots were fired outside the residence of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in Vancouver. The gang was reportedly upset as the singer released a music video featuring Salman Khan.
The Bollywood actor has been on top of the gang's hit list after he was named as prime accused in the 1999 Blackbuck poaching case. The Bishnoi community – to which Lawrence belongs – considers Blackbuck as a sacred animal.
In his disclosure statement recorded before NIA, Lawrence Bishnoi had confessed that Salman Khan is on his hit list.
The Lawrence Bishnoi Gang was also directly involved in the sensational murder of singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in 2022.
A year later, the gang carried out firing at the residence of Punjabi actor Gippy Grewal in Canada. The attack was reported at Vancouver residence in November 2023 after the singer's photo with Salman Khan came out in media.
Salman Khan had also previously received threats from associates of Lawrence Bishnoi, warning that he would meet the same fate as slain singer Sidhu Moosewala. On Aprile 14, two shooters of the gang fired five rounds outside Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandra in the early hours. The Mumbai Police chargesheet revealed that Lawrence Bishnoi personally communicated with shooters Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal hours before they fired shots outside Salman Khan's Bandra residence.
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Siddique, who was a key leader of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, was fired at around 9.30 pm on Saturday near his son's office. He was rushed to Lilavati hospital where he died during treatment. His son, Zeeshan, is the MLA from Bandra East. Two people have been arrested. According to reports, a 9.9 mm pistol was used in the shooting, hinting at a possible contract killing.
The Mumbai police had recently increased Baba Siddique's security to 'Y' category after an assessment of the threat to his life.