New Delhi: The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has officially marked its presence in Madhya Pradesh following a shooting in Khargone’s Bheelgaon. The group claimed responsibility via social media, asserting that the target was a middleman exploiting local farmers through fraudulent documentation. However, the development has triggered an alert in Delhi’s law enforcement units. The entry signals a strategic move to control the “source” of the illegal arms trade in Delhi and other parts of north India using his “Robinhood ploy”, sources said. Khargone is widely recognised as the primary manufacturing hub for 7.65mm semi-automatic pistols. These weapons are the staple of the Delhi underworld, with nearly 80% of recovered firearms in the city traced to this MP district. The crime branch and the special cell in Delhi are closely watching the developments, sources confirmed.The group posted, “We, Hari Boxer and Aarzoo Bishnoi, take responsibility for the firing incident at Dilip’s house in Bhilgav, Khargone, MP. This person has exploited our farmer brothers, creating fake IDs in their names and looting money. This is a warning to you — improve while you still have time. Next time, the bullet will hit you or someone close to you. Consider this our first and last warning. Don’t ignore it, or you’ll face the consequences.“The gang also revealed that several others in MP were on their radar. “We’ve called others too; fall in line or face the repercussions,” the post warned. According to investigators, the syndicate’s entry into MP was facilitated by alliances with the local crime groups, including the Durlabh Kashyap gang. Originally from Ujjain, Kashyap had entered the world of crime at the age of 18. He had made himself famous by posting threatening and bullying posts on social media and later formed a gang. Youngsters rapidly joined his gang and all its members wore similar attire: kohl in their eyes, a black kurta and a scarf around their neck.Kashyap was, however, killed by the rival Shehnawaj gang in 2018. “Following his death, the group faced a leadership vacuum. Lawrence secretly provided the gang with the leadership and logistics required to counter their rivals,” said an investigator. In exchange, the gang members offered local intelligence and “ground-holding” necessary for Lawrence to operate in the sensitive Khargone belt, he added.Lawrence is also known to have small modules in areas like Indore. Last year, his aide, Bhupendra Rawat from Rajasthan, was arrested by Indore Police. Rawat had met Lawrence while he was lodged in Faridkot Jail in Punjab in an opium case in 2017. These splinter members are likely to be deployed with Lawrence expanding his operations into MP, sources said. Forging alliance with local gangs in different states has been Lawrence group’s USP. Years ago, he had joined hands with the Anandpal gang and Rohit Godara in Rajasthan, Sandeep Jathedi and Kala Rana in Haryana, and the Gogi gang in Delhi. He also partnered with the Aman Sahu/Mayank Singh gang in Jharkhand and multiple gangs in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In the past one year, several members of the Mahakal gang in Bihar have been arrested on charges of weapon trafficking and have revealed links with Lawrence’s group. Last Aug, Patna Police had arrested two of them, Hareram Singh and Vineet Kumar, and seized two rifles, a revolver, 340 live cartridges and Rs 5.8 lakh. The gang was using Instagram reels to peddle weapons.
