New Delhi:
Gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar – university friends-turned-mafia bosses with international criminal empires spanning extortion, murder, and drugs and arms trafficking, among other unsavoury business interests – have parted ways, sources told NDTV Monday morning.
A partnership that probably began sometime in 2011 – when Bishnoi was studying at Panjab University – and quickly embraced violence and death is now likely over, sources said, acknowledging this will make it harder for the authorities to capture Brar (Bishnoi is already in jail) and bust their networks.
The Bishnoi-Brar ‘partnership’ has been linked to multiple murders over the past decade, including high-profile killings like that of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique in October 2024 and the December 2023 murder of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Gogamedi, a prominent Rajput leader.
They have also been linked to the killing of rapper Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022; in January 2025 Brar told British broadcaster BBC, “In his arrogance, he [Moose Wala] made some mistakes that could not be forgiven… We had no option but to kill him. As simple as that.”
The Siddique killing, claimed by Bishnoi’s gang, was linked to his support for Bollywood star Salman Khan, who is a target for the gang over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case involving the actor.
In April 2024 Bishnoi gang members opened fire outside Salman Khan’s Mumbai home; the actor was home but was unhurt, and the would-be killers were later caught in Gujarat.
The two have also claimed the September 2023 murder of Sukhdool Singh, also known as Sukha Duneke, who was wanted by the National Investigation Agency for his pro-Khalistan links.
But perhaps the biggest killing attributed to the Bishnoi-Brar duo was that of another pro-Khalistan figure, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada in June 2023.
Nijjar was a Canadian citizen and his killing sparked a massive diplomatic row between Delhi and Ottawa, with the latter claiming, without any proof, that ‘agents’ of the Indian government were involved.
Behind The Bishnoi-Brar Break Up
Sources said information about Bishnoi and Brar’s ‘break up’ came from interrogation of Bishnoi and Brar’s associates. Bishnoi is currently in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail, while Brar remains a wanted man; he went to the United States in 2017 and now runs his gang from that country.
The rift had been brewing for some time, NDTV was told.
But it erupted after the arrest of Lawrence Bishnoi’s younger brother, Anmol Bishnoi, in California in November last year. Anmol was arrested for entering the US illegally.
READ | US Arrests Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s Brother Anmol, But Not For Murder
Anmol Bishnoi – wanted in connection with several high-profile cases, including last year’s killing of ex-Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique – faces an extradition request.
Bishnoi, meanwhile, has reportedly filed a plea for political asylum in the US.
Anmol Bishnoi, was arrested by US immigration officers in 2024 (File).
Sources in the intelligence community told NDTV the Bishnoi-Brar rift was because the former felt the latter, and Rohit Godara, did not help his brother in the bail bond process.
Anmol Bishnoi did eventually secure bail, but was also forced to wear a GPS tracker.
As a result, a furious Lawrence Bishnoi broke ties with Goldy Brar and joined hands with Noni Rana, the younger brother of notorious Haryana-based gangster Kala Rana, alias Virendra Pratap.
Lawrence Bishnoi and Noni Rana have reportedly worked together over the past few months, with the latter’s network making ransom and extortion calls and collecting money for the former.
How Cops Found Out
According to a report by The Indian Express, intel about Rana extorting and collecting money for Lawrence Bishnoi was one of the red flags. Another was that Bishnoi’s name was missing when Brar and Godara claimed credit for killing Canadian businessman Harjit Singh in May 2025.
Sources said ego clashes may have been one reason why Brar and Bishnoi have split, for now.
Another possible reason was that Kala Jatheri, the Haryana gangster with whose younger brother Bishnoi has now allied, resented Brar and Godara trying to move in on his territory.
Brar, meanwhile, has reportedly tied up with Godara, who is based out of Azerbaijan.
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