Exclusive: Lawrence Bishnoi reveals who's on his hit-list

India Today has exclusively accessed details from the NIA questioning, revealing that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had identified five key targets, including Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

In Short

• Lawrence Bishnoi in jail, reveals hit-list to NIA during questioning
• Bishnoi's top target is Salman Khan for alleged blackbuck shooting
• Shaganpreet Singh, manager of Siddhu Moose Wala, also on hit-list

In the wake of the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is under intense scrutiny, with authorities examining its involvement in the case.

Siddique was gunned down outside his office in Mumbai on Saturday night, and just hours later, a member of the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder.

As the investigation unfolds, India Today exclusively accessed details from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioning of Lawrence Bishnoi. The gangster, who is currently in jail, had revealed to the NIA the top targets on his hit-list. Some of these individuals have already met violent ends, while others remain on the gang's radar.

SALMAN KHAN

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's prime target is Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. According to NIA documents, Bishnoi wants to avenge the killing of a blackbuck by Khan in 1998, an act considered sacrilegious by the Bishnoi community.

Bishnoi had sent his aide, Sampat Nehra, to conduct surveillance on Khan's Mumbai home, but said the plan was foiled when Nehra was arrested by the Haryana Police Special Task Force.

In April 2024, Khan's home was again targeted when gunmen fired multiple shots before fleeing. No one was injured in the incident.

SHAGANPREET SINGH

The next target on Bishnoi's list is Shaganpreet Singh, the manager of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

Bishnoi believes Shaganpreet provided shelter to the killers of Vicky Middukhera, a close associate of his who was shot dead in Mohali in August 2021. Bishnoi, who considered Middukhera as an elder brother, wants payback by killing Shaganpreet.

MANDEEP DHARIWAL

An aide to the absconding gangster Gaurav Padial (alias Lucky Padial), Mandeep Dhariwal earned himself a spot on Bishnoi’s hit-list by helping the killers of Vicky Middukhera, the gangster alleges. Padial is chief of the Davinder Bambiha gang.

Dhariwal, who managed Padial's business, was shot dead in the Philippines, with the Goldy Brar gang, affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claiming responsibility for the killing.

KAUSHAL CHAUDHARY

Bishnoi also targeted notorious gangster Kaushal Chaudhary, currently lodged in a Gurugram jail. Chaudhary, affiliated with the Bambiha gang and a sworn enemy of Bishnoi, was accused of supplying weapons to the killers of Middukhera. Bishnoi expressed a strong desire to eliminate Chaudhary at any cost.

AMIT DAGAR

Jailed gangster and member of a rival gang, Amit Dagar is also in Bishnoi’s crosshairs. Dagar was implicated in the murder of Middukhera and is a close ally of Kaushal Chaudhary.

He has confessed to seven murders and over a dozen extortion cases and was arrested in August 2018 after a shootout in Gurugram.

These revelations come as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang faces increased scrutiny after they took credit for the murder of Baba Siddique, which police are investigating as a contract killing.

The gang's extensive network, involving over 700 shooters across 11 states, has drawn comparisons to the criminal empire of Dawood Ibrahim.