Anmol Bishnoi extradition likely to take a while; India pursues case with US

New Delhi: Indian security agencies have shared details of cases registered against gangster Anmol Bishnoi with their American counterparts, weeks after he was reportedly detained by the US authorities on charges of immigration-visa fraud, according to officials familiar with the developments.

Ruling out immediate deportation, they said Anmol Bishnoi's extradition may take some time. The younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol alias Bhanu, is wanted in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai, along with dozens other cases registered in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

The first case against Anmol was registered in 2012 for attempt to murder at Fazilka in Punjab under the Arms Act. Lawrence first went to jail in 2010 after a fight with a rival students' group at Panjab University. Anmol is listed as accused number 13 in various NIA charge sheets.


According to NIA's probe, Anmol moved out of the country to run his brother's gangster syndicate from abroad and in a quest for sophisticated weapons, he got associated with Harvinder Singh Sandhu, aka Rinda, through Lakhbir Singh, aka Landa. Both are terrorists associated with proscribed organisation Babbar Khalsa International.

In 2022, Anmol, along with Goldy Brar, was allegedly involved in the killing of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Pradeep Kumar in the Faridkot district of Punjab, NIA has said. "Responsibility of murder was taken by Goldy Brar by sharing posts on social media (Facebook). Kumar was a follower of a sect, which has a considerable following in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, particularly among the weaker and marginalised sections. His murder was the manifestation of close association of the gangster-syndicate with pro-Khalistani terrorist organisations operating from outside India," according to officials.

The gangs have been involved in the murder of famous singer Sidhu Moosewala and political functionaries like Raju Theth.

Anmol-led gang has been allegedly involved in organised criminal activities, extortion from liquor contractors, drug smugglers and businessmen. The criminal-terror operations spread to various countries, including India, Canada, USA, Germany and Dubai. In India, the gang operates in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, as per police investigations.