Anmol Bishnoi (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: The Special NIA judge on Friday extended Anmol Bishnoi’s custody for a further seven days, till December 12. He conducted the hearing in the NIA headquarters in view of a threat to Bishnoi. Anmol Bishnoi, who was deported from the USA, is the brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Earlier, Bishnoi had moved an application alleging a threat to his life. Thereafter, the court decided to conduct the hearing in the NIA headquarters.Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma went to the NIA headquarters and held a hearing there. NIA, through Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Rahul Tyagi, along with Amit Rohila, sought further custody of Anmol Bishnoi for 7 days. It was submitted that further custody was required to investigate the case. It was also stated that some sensitive information was revealed during the interrogation of Anmol Bishnoi. Advocate Rajni and Deepak Khatri appeared for Anmol Bishnoi and opposed the extension of the custody remand.After hearing, the special NIA judge extended the custody for a further seven days. He was produced before the judge after the expiry of his earlier custody. The Special NIA court has also allowed two applications seeking permission to take voice and handwriting samples of Anmol Bishnoi.During the day, the Punjab police approached the special NIA court to seek custody of Anmol Bishnoi. Special Public Prosecutor for NIA opposed and said that NIA needs further Custody of Anmol Bishnoi.The National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleged the conspiracy hatched with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and its operatives, for raising funds, recruitment of youth for carrying out terrorist acts in the Union Territory of Delhi and other parts of the country. The same needs to be unearthed.While granting eleven days of custody on November 18, the court said, ” Investigation with respect to the role of the accused with respect to the aspects highlighted inthe application has to be unearthed. Investigation with regard to aspects like the Role of the accused in the alleged conspiracy, incriminating evidence against him, modus operandi used by him for committing the crime in question, source of funds used by him for execution of terror conspiracy and details of social media accounts through which the responsibility of terror activities executed by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang needs to be unearthed.”The NIA alleged that the members of the crime syndicate hatched a conspiracy with BKI and its operatives for raising funds, recruitment of youth for carrying out terrorist acts in the Union Territory of Delhi and other parts of the country.Besides that, the said syndicate is involved in executing and planning to execute spectacular heinous crimes, including but not limited to targeted killings of prominent persons with an intention to strike terror in the minds of people of the country, in furtherance of cause and objectives of BKI, which is a terrorist organization, included in the Schedule of the UA(P)A.Besides, the NIA also noted that, apart from the main charge-sheet, it has filed four supplementary charge-sheets. The accused is involved in activities. It was also submitted that the accused was declared a proclaimed offender on 17.01.2025 pursuant to a court order. Subsequently, he was arrested today at 02:30 pm, from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, the NIA said.The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on November 18 arrested the brother and close aide of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on his deportation from the US to India.SPP for NIA had submitted that the investigation is pending in relation to the accused. Further, the accused has absconded from India, and the NIA has taken legal recourse for declaring him a proclaimed offender. The NIA states that absconding since 2022, US-based Anmol Bishnoi is the 19th accused to be arrested for his involvement in the terror-syndicate led by his jailed brother, Lawrence Bishnoi.Anmol was chargesheeted by the NIA in March 2023 after investigations in the case established that he had actively aided designated individual terrorist Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi in the commission of various acts of terrorism in the country during the 2020-2023 period. It is alleged that operating closely with various Bishnoi gang associates, Anmol continued to run terror syndicates and execute terrorist acts from the US for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, using its operatives on the ground. Investigations revealed that Anmol Bishnoi had provided shelter and logistic support to the gang’s shooters and ground operatives. He was also engaged in extortion in India from foreign soil with the help of other gangsters. It was stated that Anmol’s name surfaced in the investigation of cases of Siddu Moosewala’s murder case, the MLA Siddiqui murder case of Mumbai, and the firing on Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai.
