Seven members of Bishnoi gang held from across four states

Police said the gangsters were planning to gun down the nephew of a politician in Rajasthan, but were thwarted by the arrests

New Delhi

The arrests were made from Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. (Representative photo)

Seven people suspected to be gunmen affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang were arrested by Delhi Police from four states, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, officers aware of the development said.

Police said the gangsters were planning to gun down the nephew of a politician in Rajasthan, but were thwarted by the arrests. They are probing if any of them were involved in incidents involving actor Salman Khan and late NCP leader Baba Siddiqui.

“We were told that an active member of the Bishnoi gang is in Delhi. Ritesh Kumar, 26, was held on Wednesday with a firearm. He told us he was set to leave for Rajasthan where his associates were waiting for him. During interrogation, we got a few details on his associates,” a senior officer with the special cell, requesting anonymity, said.

Police said they recovered arms and ammunition from the accused. The officer said raids against the gangsters started on Wednesday in southeast Delhi. On the leads they got, police went to Ganganagar in Rajasthan and arrested 19-year-old Sukhram Singh.

Pramod Singh Kushwah, additional commissioner of police (special cell), said, “Sukhram disclosed during his interrogation that he was getting instructions from fugitive Anmol Bishnoi (Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother) and another man named Naveen.”

Further inquiry revealed that Kumar and Singh were “instructed” to meet two more associates in Abohar, Punjab. On Thursday, police visited Punjab and arrested Sahil Bishnoi, 26, and Amar Singh, 35.

A second police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “We found that they also roped in shooters from Haryana. Based on technical surveillance, we conducted raids in Sirsa and arrested three men named Badal, 22, Parmod and Sandeep. Badal was previously involved in four criminal cases in Haryana and Rajasthan, Parmod in two cases and Sandeep in three cases.”

Police said interrogation of all seven accused revealed they were working under Anmol Bishnoi.

“Their current task was to carry out the murder of one Sunil Pahalwan, a resident of Ganganagar, Rajasthan. He is the nephew of a former MLA from Rajasthan (Raj Kumar Gaur). Further targets were also assigned to them,” Kushwah said.

Police said they recovered over six firearms and 24 cartridges from the accused.

“While main shooters were arrested in Salman Khan firing case and Siddqui murder, we are checking if these men also helped the main accused and if they were in Mumbai at the time of the incidents,” the second officer said.