Deportations, arrests and rivalries over the years have seen changes in the key personnel who call the shots in the Bishnoi gang that has been targeting Mumbai city, especially Bollywood, for the past two years.
While earlier it was incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his younger brother Anmol and college friend Goldy Brar on the outside who were at the helm of the extortion empire, the latest social media post claiming responsibility for firing outside director Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence on Sunday shows newer names claiming responsibility while also attesting to the ‘unity’ of the ‘one and only’ Bishnoi gang.
The post mentioned Shubham Lonkar, Aarzoo Bishnoi, Hari Boxer and one Harman Shandu. Incidentally, in the murder of cloth merchant Sanjay Verma in Punjab last year by the Bishnoi gang, the post claiming responsibility mentioned Lonkar, Bishnoi and one Goldy Dhillon.
When the first instance of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence occurred in April 2024, Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar were at the helm of affairs, with the likes of Maharashtra-based Shubham Lonkar not yet being used. The police had found two messages between Lonkar and Lawrence in which the former wished the latter happy birthday, an official said.
The social media post claiming responsibility named the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Goldy Brar, Rohit Godara and one Kala Jathedi. The Mumbai police chargesheet named Lawrence as the main conspirator in the chargesheet and also assigned a role to Rohit Godara, with neither Anmol nor Lonkar finding their names.
In the attack that was carried out on NCP Leader Baba Siddique six months later, which led to his death, the social post mentioned the name of Anmol Bishnoi, brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, who was then holed up in Canada and carried out instructions given by his incarcerated brother. He was said to be the mastermind of the case, and the chargesheet named him the main conspirator, excluding Lawrence.
An official said that relations between Lawrence Bishnoi and Brar had been strained. In 2025, the gang split after Lawrence believed that Brar mishandled the legal case involving his brother Anmol, who had been detained by US authorities in November 2024. Lawrence believed the bail bond amount had not been paid, leading to Anmol’s deportation to India in November 2025. Anmol is currently imprisoned in Tihar Jail.
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As a result of the split, some, like Rohit Godara, who had sizeable influence in the gang, went with Brar. Since then, the gang war between the two sides has led to at least three killings between October and December last year, stretching from California to Dubai to Chandigarh, with both gangs promising revenge.
With both the Bishnoi brothers being incarcerated, the role of the likes of Shubham Lonkar, whose help had been taken by the gang in arranging for shooters in the Baba Siddique case, has become important. An officer said that in the current case, Lonkar has played a major part in carrying out the operation. Along with Lonkar, others who are now carrying out operations for the gang include Aarzo Bishnoi, Hari Boxer and Goldy Dhillon.
Shubham Lonkar’s rise
Akola-based Shubham Lonkar has risen through the ranks in the Bishnoi gang with both brothers behind bars and the gang split down the middle. Once disappointed for not getting recruited in the army and introduced to Bishnoi “to work for the country”, he had arranged for some of the men involved in the killing of Baba Siddique from near his dairy shop in Pune. Suspected to be holed up in China, he arranged for the arrest of the accused in the Rohit Shetty firing and claimed responsibility.
Aarzoo Bishnoi, long-term associate of Lawrence Bishnoi
Aarzoo Bishnoi, whose name is Naveen Kumar, has been a long-term associate of Lawrence Bishnoi. He hails from Rajanwali village, next to Duttaranwali village near Abohar town in Fazilka district, Punjab.
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Suspected of operating from outside the country, he has several cases related to illegal weapons. An audio clip claiming responsibility for the firing outside Rohit Shetty’s residence mentioned his name. Last month, he made an extortion call to singer B Praak.
Hari Boxer, a boxer-turned gangster
Rajasthan-based Hari Chand Jaat, alias Hari Boxer, a boxer-turned-gangster who was earlier a boxing coach in Jaipur, has been booked in multiple cases of extorting businessmen, robbery and attempted murder in Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi. Hailing from Narayanpur in Rajasthan, and a farmer’s son, he was disowned by his parents after he got involved in criminal activities.
He is believed to operating from abroad since 2022. Although said to be close to Godara, in October, there was an attack on him and his associates in California, allegedly plotted by Godara, in which one member died.
Goldy Dhillon, suspected to be hiding in Germany
Goldy Dhillon, whose real name is Gurpreet Singh, hails from Rajpura in Punjab and is believed to be hiding in Germany while operating the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in India. While Brar motivated him to join the gang in 2022, when the split happened, Dhillon remained with the Bishnoi gang. He had claimed responsibility for the shooting at comedian Kapil Sharma’s restaurant in Canada and has several cases against him.
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