NEW DELHI: Abandoning the traditional underworld’s strict code of secrecy, Lawrence Bishnoi openly rewrote the rules of organised crime, pioneering an audacious digital branding strategy that replaced anonymity with the weaponised spectacle of performative violence. His network actively filmed hits and broadcasted screenshots as online “press releases” within minutes of the trigger being pulled to cultivate a global brand.Ultimately, it is this social media bragging that became their undoing, drawing the attention and ire of international law enforcement and culminating in a sweeping US indictment.This unprecedented retaliation by the US law enforcement agency once again put the spotlight squarely on the vast network of Punjab-based gangs that have evolved into a high-profile transnational network.The US indictments underscore the heavy footprint of Punjab’s criminal underworld, prominently implicating figures such as Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Sukhraj Kang, Goldy Brar, and Ravinder Singh Dhanda alongside Lawrence Bishnoi, who all rode the wave of illegal immigration to enter the US and Canada. Amid this dominant Punjab-centric network, Rohit Godara stands out as the sole high-ranking operative from Rajasthan. The indictments say that Brar, a childhood friend of defendant Bishnoi, directed the North American operations, Sukhraj Singh Kang operated from India, while Godara directed the European operations of the network.The unsealed documents also detail Bishnoi’s infiltration into the trucking business, which has a large number of youths from Punjab, alleging that it was heavily used for transporting drugs.It mentions how Bishnoi, Kang and Brar coordinated with fellow members to plan routes and secure protection for long-haul semi-trucks smuggling cocaine and methamphetamine across the US and to the Canadian border.It goes on to detail how the quartet targeted prominent cultural, political and business leaders in India and diaspora communities outside of India. “The trio frequently claimed public responsibility for these violent acts, including through videos and written messages publicly posted online. The Bishnoi OCG (organised crime group) used the high-profile violence and its public promotion to cultivate a widespread climate of fear and to fuel the notion that it was beyond the reach of law enforcement,” the documents say while citing the cases of Sidhu Moose Wala, Salman Khan and others.The indictments accuse the Lawrence Bishnoi network of systematically exploiting the aspirations of youths from Punjab by capitalising on their desire to move abroad for better economic and educational opportunities. It says that the syndicate targeted vulnerable young, poor men, facilitating their transit to North America and Europe under the guise of legitimate student and work visas. Key lieutenants like Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar – who originally moved to Canada on a student visa – orchestrated these pipelines. Once these young men arrived in foreign lands, the network rapidly shifted from benefactors to recruiters.These youths were converted into active foot soldiers for the syndicate’s overseas operations and assigned critical logistics and operational tasks. They were leveraged to track targets, handle illicit funds, manage weapon distribution, and execute cross-border extortions and targeted hits, it says.
