Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's relative has said that his family spends over Rs 35 lakh -Rs 40 lakh on the jailed gangster every year. The gangster is currently languishing in Gujarat's Sabarmati jail.
The gangster, who has been implicated by Canada for allegedly running a criminal network that aids Indian agents in threatening Khalistani extremists, hails from a rich family in Punjab. Ramesh Bishnoi, cousin of Lawrence Bishnoi, said the last time he met Lawrence was a decade ago when he was brought for a court hearing.
Born Balkaran Brar, the gangsters adopted the name 'Lawrence' after his paternal aunt suggested it. The name "sounded good" for Balkaran, who soon became Lawrence Bishnoi.
"Lawrence Bishnoi's family is rich. His father was a constable in the Haryana Police. He has 110 acres of land in the village. Bishnoi always wore expensive clothes and shoes," Ramesh told The Indian Express.
He added that their family did not imagine in their wildest dreams that he would turn out like this. People who have met his parents talk about their disappointment at Lawrence's illegal activities.
A senior police official who has visited Lawrence's house says "his father Lavinder Bishnoi, sits on a sofa with his eyes glued to his feet" while his mother Sunita often breaks down.
Lawrence got entangled in criminal activities first while he was a law student in Punjab when he fired a student competitor in his college union elections. This occurred after Lawrence and his friend Sampat Nehra formed a group to support Robin Brar during college union elections. They entered into a brawl with the opposite side, which resulted in Lawrence opening fire at the rival candidate.
He was sent to Burail Jail where he met arms smuggler Ranjit Duplan and gangster Rocky Fazilka. The encounter moulded the gangster in him and Lawrence went on to then raise a gang, before venturing into extortions and kidnappings. He gained infamy after being accused of being involved in the killing of Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala.
Investigations carried out by various law enforcement agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), reveal that Bishnoi’s gang has 700 members, 300 of them in Punjab. His gang is also active in countries like Canada, the UK, the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Thailand, Dubai, the Philippines, Pakistan, Germany and Italy.