Ahmedabad: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has got a new address inside the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad. He has been shifted to the maximum-security ‘Do Sau Kholi’ (Block 200).
According to reports, the transfer is part of an aggressive security strategy designed to completely cut off his communications and dismantle his ability to manage his criminal network from inside the prison walls.
Bishnoi was transferred to Sabarmati Central Jail on May 10, 2023, from Delhi’s Tihar Jail, after being taken into custody by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Under the new arrangement, he is being kept in complete isolation inside a cell measuring approximately 7.5 feet by 11 feet.
The block houses around 200 dangerous inmates, including the convicts of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case. To prevent any planning or inter-cell movement, the block is divided into four completely separate sections of 50 prisoners each, News18 Hindi reported.
He was earlier being kept in “Dus Kholi,” a smaller high-security wing meant for only 10 inmates.
While Bishnoi previously managed to issue extortion calls and give media interviews from other facilities (like Tihar and Punjab prisons), investigators report zero direct phone calls or digital footprints originating from him over the past two years.
He remains under round-the-clock solitary CCTV surveillance. His physical contact with the outside world is restricted entirely to video conferencing for court dates and scheduled legal strategy sessions with his lawyer.
Bishnoi has adopted an austere, highly disciplined daily lifestyle within his maximum-security cell, according to prison reports shared by The Times of India. He apparently spends his mornings in deep meditation and regularly recites the Hanuman Chalisa. He strictly observes religious fasts and maintains a purely vegetarian diet.
The gangster’s syndicate remains active globally, despite his total physical isolation, central and state intelligence agencies have noted. The network relies on a highly decentralised “shadow cabinet” of top henchmen operating from foreign safe havens to coordinate tasks, recruitment, and finances.
This network was most recently blamed by Mumbai Police for the October 19, 2026, firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu.
Bishnoi faces more than two dozen criminal cases spanning across multiple states. The most prominent cases and charges linked to him and his gang include the cross-border drug smuggling case of Gujarat that brought him to Sabarmati Jail.
In September 2022, the Gujarat ATS and the Indian Coast Guard intercepted a Pakistani fishing vessel near Kutch, seizing 40 kg of heroin valued at Rs 195 crore. Investigations revealed that Bishnoi was a key conspirator running the narcotics conduit from his prison cell.
In May 2022, Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead. Goldy Brar, a close associate of Bishnoi, who is based in Canada, claimed responsibility on behalf of the Bishnoi gang. The Punjab Police named Bishnoi as the mastermind who coordinated logistics.
He has also been charged with criminal intimidation, conspiracy to commit murder, and MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) violations for issuing threats to actor Salman Khan.
This stems from the 1998 blackbuck poaching case against Khan. The Bishnoi community considers the blackbuck a sacred animal. After that incident, Bishnoi issued open death threats to the actor. This culminated in an April 2024 shooting incident outside Khan’s Bandra residence by alleged Bishnoi hitmen.
He has also been accused of the murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique in October 2024.
The Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the killing, citing Siddique’s close friendship with Salman Khan as the primary reason for the targeted hit. Lawrence’s brother, Anmol Bishnoi, was named a prime accused.
On October 19, 2026, shooters targeted actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu, Mumbai. Again, the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility, stating that the attack was a warning directed at individuals associated with Salman Khan.
The United States Department of Justice indicted elements of the Bishnoi enterprise for extortion schemes targeting US citizens under ‘Operation Hardball’.
Law enforcement agencies in Canada have also publicly accused the Bishnoi gang of acting as a proxy network to target Sikh activists in Canada, linking them to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The 33-year-old faces multiple cases in Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana for executing contract killings, running liquor-smuggling rings, and running extortion rackets targeting local businessmen, singers, and call-centre owners.
