The Gujarat government has ordered a probe after a purported video by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, lodged in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central jail since August 2023, has gone viral on social media where he is seen allegedly speaking to Pakistan’s gangster Shahzad Bhatti over a video call. The jail authorities, however, have asserted that the video is not from the Ahmedabad jail.
The video, which gained traction after Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia shared a snippet on X, shows Bishnoi wishing Bhatti over a video call on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. Bhatti can be heard responding that the festival will be celebrated in Pakistan a day later. Bishnoi responds he would call Bhatti the next day. Notably, Eid-ul-Adha was celebrated across India on Monday.
Gujarat government spokesperson and law and justice minister Rushikesh Patel said, “I do not know about this. I got to know about it only today (Tuesday) morning but a number of aspects will be investigated — on if it is an old video or new, where it was leaked from, etc. Minister of State for Home (Harsh Sanghavi) has already ordered an investigation into the matter. He has directed that the matter be investigated in detail and a report be submitted.”
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad prison Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sweta Shrimali said it could also be an old video or a fake one or an AI-generated video.
“Ahmedabad crime branch has registered a janva jog (registering the incident with police) in this regard and we have also set up an internal inquiry into the matter. But we are sure that the video is not from our jail. He has no visitors and has no access to phones or any such device,” she said.
Bishnoi was brought to Ahmedabad in August 2023 by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) to probe his role in a cross-border drug smuggling case. After the completion of his remand, he was sent to judicial custody and lodged in the Sabarmati Central Prison.According to the Punjab police, Bishnoi was the mastermind behind the 2022 murder of Sidhu Moosewala, a popular Punjabi singer. The Mumbai police has also found that the Bishnoi gang was behind the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s home in Bandra on April 14, 2024.
With PTI inputs