India: Bishnoi Gang Is A Transnational Threat – Analysis
By SATP
By Ruchika Kakkar
On June 7, 2026, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for two recent shooting incidents targeting Indian nationals in Portugal, via a social media post. The post referred to a shooting at the residence of Gurpreet Singh Gill at Vila Nova de Milfontes in Portugal, and a previous attack on May 6, 2026, targeting Gurdeep Singh in Sintra, Portugal. In the same post, a person identifying himself as Rahul RK Meena, associated with the Sunil Meena gang, claimed responsibility for the attacks on behalf of an alliance of criminal syndicates operating internationally. The statement described the incidents as ‘warning actions’ and issued threats of further escalation – including the warning that the “next shot will be in your chest” – if demands were not met. The post also claimed that the network operated across multiple countries, declaring that targets could not escape even by relocating within Europe. The message also included references to several alleged affiliated groups, including the Sunil Meena Gang, Rahul Dubey Gang, and Aman Sahu Gang.
On February 12, 2026, Lawrence Bishnoi associates Harry Boxer and Sunil Meena claimed responsibility for a shooting at a commercial establishment at Marinha Grande in Portugal. The target was identified as Sukh Jawandha, a Portugal-based TikTok influencer and prominent figure in the Punjabi diaspora. In their social media claim, the gang described the incident as a “trailer,” warning of a direct attempt on his life if he did not stop allegedly exploiting Indian migrants by withholding wages and confiscating passports. They also released video footage of the firing to support their claim.
On February 1, 2026, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan-based gangster Shehzad Bhatti in Portugal. In a social media post, gangster Randeep Malik, along with United States (US)-based associate Anil Pandit, stated that the attack was carried out on their orders. Malik warned that anyone speaking against India or Lawrence Bishnoi would face death (“Desh ke khilaf bolega, uski saans band“), and alleged that Bhatti was working as a proxy for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), recruiting youth for attacks in India, particularly in Punjab. The claim was accompanied by threats asserting the gang’s global reach.
According to data compiled by the Khalistan Extremism Monitor (KEM), from the beginning of 2026 through June 12, three violent incidents led by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang were reported in Portugal, reflecting the gang’s growing presence in the country; in 2025, one violent incident led by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was reported in Portugal, though no killing occurred. There were no such incidents in 2024, 2023, or any earlier years, marking 2025 as the first year the gang registered its presence in Portugal, and 2026 as the year of significant escalation, with multiple violent acts, including the attacks on Indian nationals.
Recent claims of the two shooting incidents in Vila Nova de Milfontes and Sintra, Portugal, echo earlier gang-related violence in the country, including the 2025 Portugal shootings linked to associates of the Bishnoi gang, which were reportedly driven by disputes over drug territories. In September 2025, the gang claimed responsibility for a targeted shooting in Odivelas, Lisbon. Randeep Malik alias Randeep Singh, a US-based associate of the gang and a National Investigation Agency (NIA)-wanted gangster, posted on Facebook, asserting that he personally ordered the attack on the hideout/store belonging to rivals Romi alias Romi King and Prince of the Romi King and Prince gang. Malik stated that the shooting followed ignored warnings to cease alleged illegal activities, including drug smuggling operations purportedly linked to Pakistani mafia networks. Local Portuguese Police were investigating the incident, which has been described as the first major gang war involving Indian criminal networks on Portuguese soil. These events highlight the apparent extension of Indian gang rivalries into Europe, with unverified social media claims continuing to surface in connection with such incidents.
The Lawrence Bishnoi Gang is a transnational criminal organisation with its core operations in India and an expansive global network in Canada, the U.S., Portugal, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Turkey, Austria, Italy, Dubai, and Pakistan. As SAIR noted previously, Lawrence Bishnoi, is an Indian gangster who leads the Bishnoi syndicate, a transnational criminal network engaged in extortion, targeted assassinations, weapons and drug smuggling, and other organised crime activities across northern India and in countries including Canada, the US, Europe, and Australia. Incarcerated in Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat since around 2023 (following his initial arrest in 2014 after an armed encounter in Rajasthan), Bishnoi has maintained operational control over an estimated 700-800 members through remote coordination, including smuggled mobile phones and voice-over-IP communications, despite facing over 80 criminal cases. His gang, which recruits from socio-economic fringes and forms opportunistic alliances, at times, with pro-Khalistan elements, was designated a terrorist entity by the Canadian Government in September 2025 for promoting intimidation and violence among diaspora communities. In 2024, Bishnoi expanded eastward through an alliance with Aman Sahu, a Jharkhand-based gangster incarcerated in Raipur Central Jail and facing over 150 cases. According to a NIA chargesheet filed in April 2024, associates of both gangs met in Tihar Jail to formalise ties, aiming to share shooters, weapons, and intelligence for activities including arms supply, mining extortion, and contract killings. Such jail-forged alliances exemplify Bishnoi’s model of horizontal expansion – pooling resources from regional syndicates while retaining centralised command via illicit prison communications.
In India, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is active in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. In May 2022, the murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala in Mansa District of Punjab (the victim suffered around 24 gunshot wounds) and the October 2024 assassination of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique in the Mumbai Suburban District of Maharashtra, were both publicly claimed by gang associates. Recently, on June 11, 2026, two men on a motorcycle fired multiple rounds at the 24 HS Fitness Gym, associated with Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa’s franchise, in the Pushkar Enclave of the Paschim Vihar area in Delhi. A social media post by the associated Anil Pandit group, linked to the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility. The gang used viral videos of firing into the air and direct threats like “Next time, if you don’t pick up the call, I will have you picked up from the earth.”
In a significant milestone, the Haryana Special Task Force (STF) secured its first successful deportation of a criminal fugitive from the US. On October 25, 2025, Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha, a key operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was deported to India from the US. Lakha was wanted in multiple criminal cases across Haryana and Punjab and faces at least six cases in Haryana alone, registered in Ambala, Sonipat, Rohtak, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, and Kurukshetra districts. Since 2022, Lakha had been operating from the US under the direction of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Subsequently, Anmol Bishnoi was also deported from the US to India on November 19, 2025, marking another major development in the crackdown on the Bishnoi gang’s transnational network.
The Gang is particularly active in extortion-related violence within Canada’s South Asian diaspora. On May 28, 2026, a Canadian police officer revealed during a deportation hearing that the gang had sent a letter to the Abbotsford Police Department in British Columbia (B.C.) (dated August 2025), claiming it had more than 1,000 “foot soldiers” and gunmen ready to carry out extortion-related shootings across Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has alleged that the Bishnoi network has been involved in targeting Sikh separatists and rivals abroad, though the gang’s primary motivation remains criminal extortion and inter-gang dominance. The gang has been linked to numerous violent incidents in Canada, including:
- On June 12, 2026, gunshots were reportedly fired at a sweet shop in Brampton, Canada. Shortly after the incident, a social media post from an account identifying itself as Aarzoo Bishnoi, an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the firing. The post alleged that the attack was carried out by Aarzoo Bishnoi, his younger brother Tyson Bishnoi, and Shubham Lokar. It further stated that the shop owner had been ignoring repeated phone calls for several days.
- On May 2, 2026, a firing incident occurred at the Chai Sutta Bar, located next to Indian comedian Kapil Sharma’s outlet, Kap’s Cafe, in Surrey, B.C, Canada. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the attack via social media.
- On April 4, 2026, the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang opened fire at a car dealership in the Brampton area of Ontario, Canada. An individual identifying as “Manna Brampton” claimed responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi Group, describing the shooting as a retaliatory act.
- On February 23, 2026, two shooters of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Arazoo Bishnoi and Tyson Bishnoi, opened fire at a house believed to belong to a drug trafficker in Canada.
- On January 13, 2026, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility through a social media post, for the shooting at the residence of Jasvir Dhesi, who it accused of supporting a rival gang in Brampton, Canada.
- In October, 2025, unidentified gangsters opened fire at the house of Punjabi singer Channi Nattan in Surrey, B.C. Following the incident, Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Goldy Dhillon shared a video of the shooting on social media, claiming responsibility.
- On October 27, 2025, a Punjabi Businessman, Darshan Singh Sahsi, was shot dead at his residence in the Ridgeview Drive area of Abbotsford, Surrey, British Columbia. Soon after the incident, Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon of the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility in a social media post, stating that the murder was carried out following Sahsi’s refusal to meet an extortion demand.
- Repeated shootings at Kap’s Cafe (owned by comedian Kapil Sharma) in Surrey, B.C., on October 16, 2025, August 7, 2025, and, June 10, 2025 had Bishnoi associate Goldy Dhillon publicly claiming responsibility.
In the US, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility via social media for the alleged killing of Haryana-based gangster Bhanu Rana alias Bhanu Pratap in California, on April 7, 2026. In the post, the gang labelled Rana a “traitor” who had betrayed the network and shared information with rivals, adding that they had vowed to eliminate him earlier. Bhanu Rana, a former associate from Karnal District of Haryana, had reportedly split from the Bishnoi gang in 2025. However, the claim of sharing information remains unverified, with no official confirmation from the US or California authorities. Separately, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Hari Chand Jat, aliasHarry Boxer, alias Hari Boxer, in California in February 2026. The former boxing coach-turned-gangster was taken into custody shortly after Mumbai Police confirmed he had sent extortion voice notes threatening Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and filmmaker Rohit Shetty with “dire consequences” if they did not comply with his demands. Boxer faces multiple cases of extortion, robbery, and attempted murder in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Delhi. Indian authorities are coordinating with central agencies and the US for his possible extradition.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang, amid intense gang rivalries, has been linked to several high-profile killings. In September 2023, his gang claimed responsibility for the shooting death of Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke, a Canada-based gangster and rival associated with the Davinder Bambiha group. Sukha Duneke was wanted by NIA for links to pro-Khalistan terrorists and other criminal activities. He was shot dead in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on September 20, 2023. Canadian police investigated the homicide as gang-related violence. The Bishnoi gang publicly claimed the killing via social media shortly after the incident. The long-running feud between the Bishnoi gang and the Davinder Bambiha gang (and its factions) has led to multiple killings on both sides over the years. In August 2022, the Bambiha gang issued public social media warnings threatening Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, and Canada-based Goldy Brar, holding them responsible for the June 29, 2022, murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
Gang rivalries have marked the existence of the Bishnoi gang. Earlier, Goldy Brar was one of Lawrence Bishnoi’s closest associates and key international handlers, but the two parted ways and became rivals following the arrest of Lawrence’s younger brother, Anmol Bishnoi. In 2025, a major split occurred when Lawrence Bishnoi accused Goldy Brar of mishandling Anmol’s legal case after his detention by US authorities in November 2024. Bishnoi alleged that Brar failed to pay the required bail bond, leading to Anmol’s deportation to India in late 2025; Anmol is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, Delhi. After the split, Goldy Brar aligned with Rohit Godara alias Sachin Godara and formed a separate faction. The Rohit Godra and Lawrence Bishnoi gangs are rivals. On May 4, 2026, an Indian-origin bookie, Simranjit Singh alias Sam Canada, suspected of being linked to the Bishnoi gang as its “accountant” in Canada, was shot dead in a targeted attack in the Newton area of Surrey. Soon after the killing, gangster Rohit Godara claimed responsibility on social media, describing the victim as a “close associate” of rival groups allegedly involved in match-fixing and illegal betting operations in Canada.
Lawrence Bishnoi’s key associates include Aarzoo Bishnoi, Hari Boxer (detained by the US in 2026), and Goldy Dhillon, who was recruited by Brar in 2022 but remained with Bishnoi after the split. Dhillon is believed to be hiding in Germany while directing operations and has publicly claimed responsibility for the shootings at comedian Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Cafe in Surrey, Canada. After the reported rift, Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly joined hands with Noni Rana alias Surya Pratap, the younger brother of Haryana-based gangster Kala Rana (Virendra Pratap). The two have reportedly collaborated on ransom and extortion activities, with Bishnoi deploying associates like “Boxer” in the US.
The gang’s modus operandi has evolved toward more compartmentalised operations and the recruitment of individuals with limited or no prior criminal records. Overseas handlers reportedly identify targets, issue instructions through digital platforms, arrange funding via hawala networks and cryptocurrency, and recruit local shooters in India. This decentralised structure enables cross-border operations while preserving anonymity. Recruitment often occurs through social media platforms such as Instagram, encrypted messaging apps, and pages that glorify gang culture.
Jurisdictional gaps, encrypted communications, and underreporting driven by stigma and fear within diaspora communities, continue to hinder prosecutions. Offenders exploit this environment, as victims often avoid seeking help in extortion cases. The Lawrence Bishnoi Gang’s open defiance even after its 2025 terrorist designation signals growing operational confidence. Escalation risks remain high in 2026, particularly in Europe and Canada, unless international cooperation between India, Canada, Europe, and the US significantly improves financial tracking, extraditions, and community resilience-building efforts. This network poses a serious threat to the safety of the Indian diaspora and demonstrates how jailed kingpins can still project power globally. While claims should be treated with caution pending judicial verification, the overall pattern of violence is well-documented and appears to be expanding.
