Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi Accused of Running Extortion Racket from Gujarat Prison Using WhatsApp: US DoJ
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has alleged that Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster from Punjab currently lodged in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati jail, used WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging applications as recently as December 2025 and January 2026 to extort and attempt to extort $5 million from victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, California.
The DoJ also accused Bishnoi and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, of ordering the assassination of pro-Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It described the Bishnoi enterprise as routinely targeting prominent religious, social, and political leaders with violence, and using such acts to terrorise and extort members of the community.
For example, in November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a shooting at the Vancouver residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer, warning in a Facebook post written in Punjabi that 'no one can save you from us'.
Bishnoi's lawyer, Rajni Khatri, stated that her client has been in solitary confinement at Sabarmati jail since 2023 under 24/7 CCTV surveillance. The Union Home Ministry has invoked Section 303 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which prohibits his movement outside the jail, and he participates in court hearings via video conference. If police from other states need to interrogate him, they must come to the prison.
According to a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2022, Bishnoi has 84 cases registered against him in Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, and Punjab, with the first case dating back to 2010. Khatri said Bishnoi has been discharged or acquitted in 40 other cases. She questioned the allegations, stating, 'If he was using WhatsApp to carry out extortion activities from jail, then authorities should give supporting evidence. He is under 24/7 surveillance and only meets his legal team.'
Before Sabarmati, Bishnoi was lodged in a Punjab jail for a year and in Delhi's Tihar jail prior to that. Neither state nor central government officials responded to the US allegations.
The NIA's chargesheet echoed the DoJ's claims that Bishnoi runs his racket from prison. The DoJ alleged that by using contraband cellphones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his cell, Bishnoi personally directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes worldwide.
In 2022, the NIA stated that Bishnoi 'runs the entire operations of the gang from within the jail' and noted his adeptness at operating from inside, as he has not applied for bail in many years. Khatri countered that Bishnoi has not applied for bail due to the numerous cases against him and the difficulty in securing a bail bond.
The NIA chargesheet also cited the conspiracy to murder singer Sidhu Moosewala, detailing how key accused persons, though lodged in different prisons, remained in communication with Brar, who coordinated the killing after Moosewala's security cover was reduced. The NIA said a considerable portion of money from extortion is sent to Canada, the US, Dubai, Thailand, and Australia to support foreign-based associates and pro-Khalistan extremists.
