Lawrence Bishnoi’s family spends around ₹35-40 lakh per year to take care of the gangster as he is in jail, a cousin has revealed.
Ramesh Bishnoi, 50, also said the family ‘never imagined’ the 31-year-old, a law graduate from the Panjab University, would go on to become a criminal.
“We have always been wealthy. Lawrence’s father was a constable in the Haryana Police and owns 110 acres (of land) in our village. Lawrence always wore expensive clothes and shoes. In fact, even now, the family spends ₹35-40 lakh annually on him in jail,” The Indian Express quoted Ramesh as saying.
Born in Punjab’s Firozpur, Bishnoi, real name Balkaran Brar, became ‘Lawrence’ during his school years, reportedly on the suggestion of his aunt, who felt the latter name ‘sounded better.’
In recent years, his name has come up in connection with several high-profile cases, including last week’s fatal shooting in Mumbai of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique, a close friend of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Siddique’s friendship with Khan is believed to have played a role in the politician’s murder.
Earlier this week, the Canadian Police alleged members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang were carrying out ‘violent’ activities on the country’s soil in ‘collaboration’ with ‘agents’ of the Indian government, a charge India has denied.
Also, in May 2022, popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead, allegedly by members of the Bishnoi gang.
He is lodged at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad; he is being probed by the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in multiple cases.
In August 2023, the Union home ministry issued an order to prevent Bishnoi from being taken out of that prison regardless of the purpose. In August, the order was extended by another year.