Mumbai police move to extradite Anmol Bishnoi from US. Who is he?

US officials have informed Mumbai Police that Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence’s younger brother, 25, is in their country, which will help attempts to stop the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s activities.

The Mumbai Police have started the process of asking for his extradition, and last month the Crime Branch made an application to a special court for the same.

According to a senior officer who spoke to The Indian Express, the Mumbai Police informed the court on October 16 that they planned to start the extradition process for Anmol in relation to the Salman Khan house firing case.

Who is Anmol Bishnoi?

Anmol Bishnoi, alias Bhanu, is the brother of infamous gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently behind bars in a drug smuggling case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Hailing from Punjab’s Fazilka, he is the son of Lovinder Singh and Sunita Bishnoi. His nephew, Sachin Bishnoi, is also believed to be involved in illegal activities.

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As a teenager, he committed minor crimes, including extortion and theft, which later escalated into more serious ones. He gained more influence after learning bomb-making methods from a professional in Nepal, which was a turning point in his criminal career.

He is accused in the killing of singer-politician Sidhu Moosewala who was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, 2022. He allegedly provided weapons and logistical support to the men who gunned down Moosewala near his village.

Major operations of the gang, including the firing outside Salman Khan’s house in April, were alleged to have been carried out by Anmol. According to the chargesheet filed by the NIA, Anmol delivered a nine-minute speech to motivate the shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, telling them that they were on course to create history.

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His name also surfaced in the recent murder of Baba Siddique, a former MLA and leader of the NCP (Ajit Pawar), where it was said that Anmol had spoken with the accused, who opened fire on the leader. Shortly after the murder, two of the gunmen, Dharamraj Kashyap of Uttar Pradesh and Gurmail Baljit Singh of Haryana, were taken into custody; Shiv Kumar Gautam, also of Uttar Pradesh, is still on the run.

Anmol is booked in 18 criminal cases and has served time in the Jodhpur jail. He was released on bail on 7 October 2021. He is currently a fugitive and reportedly keeps on changing his locations. Last year, he was spotted in Kenya. Last week, the NIA announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on Anmol.

What did the US alert say?

A Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued when Anmol was listed as a wanted accused in the chargesheet, according to The Indian Express.

“Based on the RCN, US authorities reached out to us a few months ago, alerting us about Anmol’s presence in the US,” the official told the newspapers.

According to officials, it is unclear if Anmol is being detained by US police at the moment, but his whereabouts within America have probably been identified.

The court permitted the police to process the required paperwork in response to the miscellaneous application that was submitted last month.

The Ministry of External Affairs will coordinate with US officials after the Ministry of Home Affairs receives the documents.

If the extradition procedure is accepted, he will be taken into custody by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.

Why is this significant?

In the hours following India’s withdrawal of its diplomats from Canada last month, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that Indian government “agents” were working with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to incite violence in Canada. New Delhi has repeatedly denied these claims, referring to them as “preposterous imputations.”

Plus, the recent action taken by the US Department of Justice in the case concerning the alleged attempt to assassinate pro-Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun lends significance to the Anmol Bishnoi notice.

In an extortion case December last year, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Vikash Yadav, the man the US has accused of “murder-for-hire and money laundering” in the purported Pannun plot.

That arrest was made in response to a Rohini resident’s extortion and kidnapping allegation, which implicates Lawrence Bishnoi in the crime.

With inputs from agencies