Return of the Dread

Investigation in the Baba Siddique murder has so far pointed towards gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The police are now looking for a man called Shubham Lonkar, who they believe has direct links with Bishnoi’s gang. Among the three arrested in the case is Shubham’s brother, Pravin Lonkar. After the murder, a Facebook post by “Shubuu Lonkar” claimed responsibility for the murder— the post has been removed since then. He had been arrested earlier in a separate case under the Arms Act, but was later released on bail. The police have found out that he had been in touch with Bishnoi’s brother Anmol till the end of last month.

According to the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Bishnoi, the gangster and his associates have expanded their network by hiring unemployed youth from Punjab and other neighbouring states. In lieu of working for them, they are promised huge amount of money and also an opportunity to settle abroad in countries like Canada. These activities coincide with the rise of Lawrence Bishnoi, who rose from student politics in Punjab to turning into a gangster around 2012.

At first, the NIA investigation says the gang started spreading through Punjab, engaging in some big killings. Now this syndicate is active in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh— one of the killers of Siddique was arrested from his native place, Bahraich; his name is Harishkumar Balakram and he used to work as a scrap dealer in Pune. A team of Mumbai police has also gone to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh where, according to sources, weapons for the killing could have been procured.

Unlike in the past, Bishnoi’s men have kept silent on social media. Earlier, the NIA investigation has revealed that Bishnoi recruited men to upload posts about his activities on social media for publicity. But perhaps this time Bishnoi does not need it. A cursory look on social media platforms like X reveals how much content is available on him. In most of it he is seen as some kind of hero, who is after the “enemies” of India; more so, since many believe that the Indian authorities may have used his syndicate to target Khalistani separatists in Canada. This is a game which Bishnoi understands well. During his previous appearances in court, he has exhibited a particular image, donning a tilak and claiming to read the Hanuman Chalisa in jail. “In the court, people throng to catch a glimpse of him. Even in jail, he is becoming bigger and bigger, conducting his operations with impunity. This surely is going to become a big headache in the future,” a senior police officer in Punjab earlier told this correspondent.

But why was Siddique targeted? There are no clear answers to this yet. But there is a theory that Bishnoi wants to take his image several notches higher. For this, he needs to be the new D-company in Mumbai. The NIA chargesheet specifically mentions his “simi­larities” with the rise of Dawood Ibrahim who, it says, started his criminal activities in the 1980s as a petty criminal and then rose in a few years to become the most powerful underworld don. The NIA investigation has pointed at how Bishnoi sent money collected through extortion and illegal liquor and arms business through hawala channels to his contacts in countries like Thailand. The chargesheet specifically mentions a nightclub chain named “Bollywood Club” and “Cama Club” and a restaurant called “Punappa” in Thailand, whose owner allegedly uses this money to invest in his business.

Bishnoi has also practically become obsessed with killing the actor Salman Khan. In his disclosure statement recorded before the NIA, Bishnoi had confessed that Salman Khan was on his hit list. A plan to assassinate him was hatched by Bishnoi even before his plans to kill the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. For this, one of Bishnoi’s sharpshooters, Kapil Pandit, and his two associates had conducted a thorough recce of Salman Khan’s house in Bandra. But finally, it was decided that it would be better to kill him at his farmhouse in Panvel. For this, the three rented a room near his farmhouse. They stayed here for about six weeks.

Salman Khan’s planned murder was part of Bishnoi’s plan to strike fear in the Hindi film industry, believe the police. They say that the publicity around Salman Khan has given him a lot of traction. Already, there is fear in the Punjab music indus­try whose current value is estimated to be around ₹60,000 crore. Last year, it produced over 5,000 music videos. In April this year, shots were fired out­side Khan’s apartments in Bandra. A few months ago, shots were also fired outside the residence of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon in Vancouver. Police sources say this is likely because Dhillon released a music video featuring Salman Khan.

The modus operandi of the Punjab gangs is similar to how the Mumbai underworld used to operate at one point. It would get young men from places like Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and use them to kill their targets. That makes police’s task difficult as such men have no past criminal record. In Siddique’s case, the Mumbai Police found out that one of the suspected shooters, Shivkumar Gautam, had first learnt how to fire a gun by trying it during weddings in Uttar Pradesh where celebratory firing often takes place. Other suspects repeat­edly watched YouTube videos on how to load a gun and then practised it in their rented house in Kurla.

Bishnoi and others from his gang who are under arrest manage all their opera­tions from jail. The gang members used advanced communication methods, particularly one called “Dabba Calling” that has left the police baffled. It involves a gang member placing a call (for extor­tion, for instance) using internet protocol after which he calls his boss from another phone and then places the two phones beside each other.

With Siddique’s sensational mur­der, Bishnoi is now much closer to achieving his aim—after all, Siddique’s murder is the most high-profile murder after the mur­der of Gulshan Kumar. By killing Siddique in the heart of Mumbai, Bishnoi has sent a clear message, especially to the Hindi film industry, that he is the new D-Company.

The problem for Mumbai Police is that as of now they are unable to get Bishnoi’s custody. He was shifted to Sabarmati Central Jail from Tihar in August last year. Afterwards, a Union Home Ministry order prohibits his transfer under the provision that transfer of a high-profile prisoner like him may create law and order problems. How will it affect the investigation, and what effect will it have on Mumbai, especially the film industry? The signs do not look good.

Baba Siddique's murdercrimeHindi film industryLawrence BishnoiSalman Khan