US prosecutors have alleged that Lawrence Bishnoi, a jailed gangster, managed a vast international criminal operation from an Indian prison using illicit mobile phones and internet communications to oversee activities like murders, extortion, and drug trafficking in multiple countries. The accusations were revealed in a federal racketeering indictment unveiled as part of ‘Operation Hard Ball,’ a global crackdown on three organized crime groups operating in North America, Europe, and beyond. Bishnoi, who initially led a student network in Punjab, allegedly transformed it into a transnational criminal syndicate after shifting from campus politics to criminal endeavors.
The indictment claims that despite being arrested by Indian authorities in 2015, Bishnoi continued to direct the organization from his prison cell by utilizing smuggled cellphones and internet devices to orchestrate various criminal activities worldwide, including political assassinations, drug trafficking, and kidnappings. US authorities assert that the criminal network expanded its reach beyond India, establishing connections in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia, with a substantial global membership. Bishnoi purportedly maintained a public persona as a patriotic and religious figure to attract followers, using social media and interviews for recruitment in India and abroad.
Investigators allege that the organization targeted vulnerable youth, particularly from Punjab, promising money and protection to recruit them, often using fraudulent means to send loyal members to countries like the US and Canada. The indictment also suggests that the group operated in a decentralized manner to shield lower-ranking members from each other, enhancing the network’s resilience and reducing exposure in case of arrests. Prosecutors claim that Bishnoi orchestrated targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking, and human smuggling to bolster the organization’s reputation and intimidate victims, with profits from criminal activities circulated within the network and sent back to members in India.
