Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol held in California: Report

Anmol Bishnoi, younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was detained in California by the US Immigration Department on Nov 14, Mumbai Police sources were quoted as saying.

Anmol is facing 18 criminal cases while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for his arrest.

Baba Siddique's murder has also been linked to younger Bishnoi, who allegedly coordinated the attack. Police investigations claimed that Anmol provided logistical and financial support, including weapons sourced through Sujit Sushilsingh, another accused.

Following the detention, three Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials on Nov 15 met senior officials of multiple Indian agencies, headed by a senior official of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to discuss Anmol’s case status, a source in the security establishment was quoted as saying.

The US Immigration Department has found that some of Anmol’s travel documents were forged.

“Anmol fled to the US on May 15, 2022, after making a fake passport in the name of one Bhanu. But he was exposed after the US Immigration Department found that one of the reference letters of a company, attached with his travel documents, was forged,” sources were quoted as saying.

“In a meeting that lasted for 45 minutes, the FBI officials discussed the cases and the evidence against Anmol. It was informed in the meeting that matters regarding his deportation will be clear once the outcome of his asylum application is known,” they added.

In the meeting, the FBI officials also discussed Anmol’s alleged involvement in the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and in the firing outside Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence.

“After the meeting, all the central agencies have started reopening their case files and making a list of direct and strong evidence against Anmol,” a source was quoted as saying.

Pertinently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of ₹ 10 lakh for Anmol Bishnoi, who is an accused in two crimes charge-sheeted by the agency.

He was allegedly instrumental in the June 6, 2022 killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot dead around eight months after Anmol was released on bail from a Jodhpur jail. After the murder, Anmol went missing and left India allegedly on a fake passport.

In 2023, he was spotted at a Punjabi wedding in California and was photographed along with leading Punjabi singers, according to media reports. A Red Corner Notice was issued against him on December 6, 2022, and last year, the Indian government shared the latest coordinates of Anmol with the US government, asking them to make a provisional arrest of him.

Rajasthan police had in September said Anmol had 31 cases, including 22 cases in Rajasthan, and around nine arrest warrants, against him.

Anmol (25) has also been implicated in the case of shots being fired outside Salman Khan’s residence on April 14. On Nov 5, the Mumbai police said in court that during its probe of the firing, an audio clip of Anmol and arrested accused Vicky Gupta – a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – was found.

Earlier this month, the Mumbai police informed a special court that it also wants to find out whether Anmol is involved in the Oct 12 murder of Baba Siddiqui. In October this year, police informed the court that it was initiating extradition proceedings against Anmol.

Also, police in Delhi recently claimed that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has a criminal syndicate spanning Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi, and that Anmol was among those believed to be managing the gang’s “extortion operations” from abroad.