Paromita Das
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th October. The cold-blooded murder of former MLA and influential political figure Baba Siddiqui has sent shockwaves through Mumbai, underscoring a new era of criminal dominance in India. On October 12, 2024, Siddiqui was gunned down in Bandra by assailants linked to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. This high-profile killing marks a significant escalation in the gang’s operations, which have expanded from the northern states into India’s financial capital, highlighting the growing influence of the Bishnoi gang.
The Murder of Baba Siddiqui: A New Chapter in Mumbai’s Criminal History
Baba Siddiqui’s assassination outside his son’s office in Kher Nagar, Bandra, is emblematic of a power shift within India’s underworld. Once controlled by traditional mafia figures like Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan, the criminal landscape of Mumbai is now being encroached upon by northern gangs. The Bishnoi gang, already infamous for its violent operations across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, has shown its readiness to expand its reign of terror into Mumbai.
Two suspects, Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) from Haryana and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19) from Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested in connection with the killing. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the attack, further cementing their status as one of the most dangerous and influential criminal organizations in the country. This brazen act was not an isolated incident but part of the Bishnoi gang’s broader strategy to assert its dominance over new territories, especially in high-stakes urban centers like Mumbai.
The Rise of the Bishnoi Gang: From Student Politics to Organized Crime
Lawrence Bishnoi, born in 1993 in Punjab, rose to infamy during his college days when he became involved in student politics and eventually drifted into the criminal underworld. Alongside his partner Goldy Brar, Bishnoi built a criminal empire involved in extortion, smuggling, and contract killings. Despite being imprisoned since 2015, Bishnoi has managed to run his criminal enterprise from behind bars, with over 700 shooters and a vast network operating across India.
The Bishnoi gang’s influence grew significantly after the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, a high-profile killing that brought the gang into national headlines. Their operations are managed by Goldy Brar, who reportedly coordinates the gang’s activities from overseas, making it difficult for law enforcement to bring the entire network down.
Bishnoi Gang’s Operations and Targets
The Bishnoi gang has developed a reputation for ruthlessness, with its operations characterized by calculated violence, often directed at public figures and celebrities. Apart from Sidhu Moosewala, the gang has also issued death threats to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, seeking revenge for his involvement in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case—a sacred animal to the Bishnoi community.
The murder of Baba Siddiqui has signaled the gang’s intent to expand its reach further into the high-profile world of Mumbai’s political and business circles. The Bishnoi gang, which originated as a regional outfit, has transformed into a transnational network, with operatives spread across countries like Canada, Armenia, and Dubai. Their ability to strike high-value targets, even with their leaders behind bars, has made them a formidable force in the Indian underworld.
Bishnoi Gang vs. Dawood Ibrahim Gang: A Shift in India’s Underworld Dynamics
The murder of Baba Siddiqui and the rising prominence of the Bishnoi gang represent a marked shift in India’s criminal landscape, once dominated by underworld figures like Dawood Ibrahim. For decades, Dawood’s syndicate ruled Mumbai’s criminal empire, engaging in large-scale operations that included smuggling, extortion, and even terrorism, notably the 1993 Mumbai bombings. However, with Dawood’s gang now in decline due to international pressure and law enforcement crackdowns, a new generation of gangs like Bishnoi’s is stepping in to fill the void.
Comparing the Two Gangs: Old vs. New
Operations and Tactics
The Dawood Ibrahim gang’s modus operandi involved large-scale smuggling, drug trafficking, and terror-linked activities. Dawood’s operations were highly organized, with strong international links, particularly with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The gang operated like a mafia, controlling vast territories, particularly in Mumbai, and relied heavily on its global network to evade law enforcement.
In contrast, the Bishnoi gang is more decentralized and opportunistic, focusing on contract killings and extortion rather than long-term smuggling operations. While Dawood’s gang operated on a global scale with deep-rooted political ties, the Bishnoi gang leverages technology and social media to enhance its reach, recruit followers, and intimidate rivals. The rise of the internet has allowed modern gangs like Bishnoi’s to operate more covertly and flexibly.
Leadership Structure
Dawood Ibrahim ran his operations from overseas, with a strict hierarchy that ensured control over every aspect of his empire. Lawrence Bishnoi, although imprisoned, runs a decentralized network where various sub-leaders like Goldy Brar handle day-to-day operations. This decentralized approach makes the Bishnoi gang more adaptable and harder to dismantle entirely.
Geographic Influence
While Dawood Ibrahim’s influence was primarily rooted in Mumbai, where he controlled the city’s underworld, the Bishnoi gang’s origins lie in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. However, Bishnoi’s gang is now making inroads into Mumbai, challenging the remnants of Dawood’s syndicate and seeking to establish dominance in India’s financial capital. The murder of Baba Siddiqui is a clear sign of the gang’s ambition to expand beyond its northern strongholds.
Public Perception
Dawood’s name has long been associated with terrorism, particularly after the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which forever linked his syndicate to extremist violence. The Bishnoi gang, while not linked to terrorism, has cultivated an image of brutality and revenge. The targeting of public figures like Sidhu Moosewala and Salman Khan has made them notorious, but their social media presence and cult-like following among certain sections of society show a shift in how modern gangs cultivate fear and influence.
The New Face of Organized Crime in India
The Bishnoi gang’s rise signals a transformation in organized crime in India, where traditional mafia-like structures are being replaced by more flexible and tech-savvy networks. Lawrence Bishnoi’s use of social media to issue threats and promote his gang’s activities shows how criminal enterprises are adapting to the digital age. While Dawood Ibrahim’s gang once ruled through large-scale operations and global smuggling rings, the Bishnoi gang operates with a focus on targeted, high-profile killings that draw public attention and instill fear.
The murder of Baba Siddiqui underscores the Bishnoi gang’s growing confidence and reach. With its roots in northern India now firmly established, the gang’s expansion into Mumbai signals a dangerous new chapter for the city’s underworld. The gang’s growing power threatens to destabilize law enforcement efforts, as their decentralized structure and overseas connections make them harder to track and apprehend.
Conclusion: A New Era of Crime in India
The brutal murder of Baba Siddiqui highlights the rise of a new era of organized crime in India, where the Bishnoi gang has become a dominant force. The shift from old-school mafia-style operations, epitomized by Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate, to the modern, decentralized, and tech-driven tactics of the Bishnoi gang is reshaping India’s criminal landscape. While Dawood’s gang once ruled Mumbai with an iron grip, Lawrence Bishnoi’s network is now asserting itself as a formidable player in the city’s underworld.
The rise of the Bishnoi gang represents a significant challenge for law enforcement and society. The gang’s ability to operate seamlessly despite its leaders being behind bars, combined with its use of social media to project power, demonstrates the evolving nature of organized crime. Authorities will need to adopt new strategies to combat these emerging threats, as traditional methods may no longer be sufficient to counter the deadly grip of gangs like Bishnoi’s.
The murder of Baba Siddiqui serves as a wake-up call for Mumbai, signaling that the city’s criminal underworld is far from defeated and that a new breed of gangsters is ready to take over. It is crucial that law enforcement agencies adapt to this new reality, using a combination of technology, intelligence, and international cooperation to dismantle these modern-day crime syndicates before they further entrench themselves in India’s criminal ecosystem.
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