Mumbai police cannot take gangster Lawrence Bishnoi into custody. Here’s why

Despite gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang claiming responsibility for the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, Mumbai police face legal challenges in taking the dreaded gang leader into their custody for investigation. According to an NDTV report, the Mumbai police have filed several applications seeking his custody but has been denied permission by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The ministry has denied permission for his transfer from a jail in Gujarat’s Sabarmati, where he is currently imprisoned in connection with a drug smuggling case. The report cited an order under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which states that no state or agency can seek his custody for a year.
This order grants power to the government to bar the movement of prisoners, when such transfers can potentially affect law and order. The order was in effect till August 2024, but sources told NDTV that it has been extended for another year till August 2025.
Despite being in jail, it is reported that the gangster has easy access to mobile phones with internet connectivity. He also uses VPN services to make calls to his fellow gang members in various states, in addition to using messaging apps like Signal and Telegram to give periodic instructions.
These mobile phones, often belonging to other inmates, with high-end VPN networks to conceal the IP addresses and locations of the people and used by Lawrence Bishnoi to coordinate with his gang members, especially before executing a crime.
Earlier this year, Bishnoi’s video call conversation with a Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti from his jail went viral on social media. His reach is also believed to extend to several organised crime gangs in North America. The gang also has strong ties with Khalistani terrorists and Khalistani separatist groups based out of Canada.