Anmol Bishnoi: The phantom trigger-man

In the long reach of the Bishnoi crime syndicate, Anmol Bishnoi, by 24, had grown into the quiet operator who, investigators say, had by degrees slipped into the role of the de facto runner of the gang of his elder brother, Lawrence. Born in 1999 in Dutarawali village in Fazilka district of Punjab, he learned early the workings of a criminal nexus that linked local violence to international networks. Now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency after being deported from the US, he faces a dossier that has followed him across continents. His dossier sketches a steady trajectory. Lawrence sent Anmol to Jodhpur for studies in 2016 after Anmol had studied in Abohar earlier, but problems followed him there as well. During that time, three cases of assault and illegal arms were registered against him. State police records show he is named as an accused in 16 FIRs across Punjab between October 2012 and July 2025. The first, at Abohar City Police Station in 2012, named offences included attempt to murder, voluntarily causing grievous injury and the Arms Act violations. Subsequent FIRs charged him with trespass, theft, forgery, criminal conspiracy, extortion and offences under the Passports Act; a court later issued open warrants. Investigators say he was principal overseas handler, directing extortion rackets, issuing threats and coordinating assignments through encrypted channels. The NIA maintains that Anmol continued to run terror syndicates and execute terrorist acts from the US for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, using its operatives on the ground. From abroad, he is accused of managing shooters, arranging logistics, and keeping the machinery of intimidation active despite distance. Travel and false identities were central to his movements. Punjab Police informed the Intelligence Bureau on June 15, 2022, that Anmol had slipped out of the country by flying from Jaipur to Dubai, then to Kenya, and finally to the US. He travelled on a fake passport issued in the name of Bhanu Pratap, with Rakesh as the fathers name. His real father is Lovinder Bishnoi. In October last year, the NIA added him to Indias most wanted list and announced a reward of `10 lakh for information leading to his arrest. He was arrested in Sacramento, California, in November last year for entering the country on illegal documents and was kept under an ankle monitor, a GPS-based tracking device used in court-ordered surveillance cases. He did not always stay hidden. In April 2023, he was spotted at a Punjabi wedding in Californiaan appearance investigators later cited as evidence of the confidence he placed in multiple identities and the safe houses that supported him abroad. The dossier maps a network that crosses continents. It names members in the US, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey and the UAE. Some 18 of Anmols known aides are currently abroad, including Godly Brar and 9 others who recently fled India, assuming fake identities and using fake passports. Investigators say he allegedly made extortion calls to businessmen through WhatsApp, Signal and VOIP (VPN). In cases where ransom was not paid, they contend, gang members were sent and shots were fired. Authorities say shelter, weapons and movement were arranged for operatives who carried out attacks in India. Investigations revealed that he provided shelter and logistical support to the gangs shooters and operatives, and engaged in extortion in India from foreign soil with the help of other gangsters. His presence overseas, the NIA argues, helped the syndicate build links with criminal groups across West Asia, East Africa and North America. The allegations tie him to some of the gangs most notorious acts. The dossier suggests he coordinated the plot that led to the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala near Moosa village in Mansa district on May 29, 2022, providing weapons and support on his behest. The NIA charge-sheet in March 2023 said he had actively aided designated individual terrorist Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi in the commission of various acts of terrorism in the country during the 20202023 period. His name also surfaced in brazen attacks in Mumbai. On April 14 last year, two individuals fired outside Salman Khans home in Bandra; Anmol claimed responsibility on Facebook. A charge sheet later said planning had been going on since August 2023 and that Bishnoi delivered a nine-minute speech to motivate the shooters, telling them they were going to make history. Three months later, on October 12, the killing of Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique outside the office of his son in Bandra led investigators to name Anmol as the plotter. Some 26 people allegedly connected to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang have been arrested in that case, and the Mumbai Police invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Absconding since 2022, Anmol became the 19th accused to be arrested in connection with the terror-syndicate led by Lawrence. The NIAs narrative presentshim as a young man who learned the trade, moved quickly and believed distance and forged identities could shield him. Now, in custody, the fragments of his journeyforged passports, FIRs, and intercepted messagesform the record.