“Close To Salman Khan”: Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Targets Guru Randhawa’s Delhi Gym

New Delhi:

The notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang has struck once again. Shots were fired on Wednesday night at a gym that is part of a fitness centre franchise owned by popular singer Guru Randhawa in outer Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area. The Bishnoi gang has claimed the firing via social media posts. The police are still verifying these social media posts.

Bishnoi gang member Anil Pandit claimed in a social media post that Guru Randhawa’s gym ’24HS Fitness’ was targeted as a warning to the singer, who is getting “very close” to actor Salman Khan. “We targeted Guru Randhawa’s gym in Delhi as he was getting very close to Salman Khan,” Pandit claimed in the post, warning of more attacks on “enemies”.

Police teams rushed to the spot after receiving the information of firing and initiated investigation. No one was hurt in the incident. According to Delhi Police, a Delhi resident ran the gym as part of Guru Randhawa’s ’24HS Fitness’ franchise. Police have called the owner to inquire about the firing incident.

As per the initial investigation, multiple rounds were fired at the gym by two bike-borne men who had their faces covered. 

Police are examining CCTV footage from the area and collecting evidence from the scene. Further investigation is in progress to identify those involved and determine the motive behind the firing.

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Bhai, Blackbuck And Bishnoi

The long-standing conflict between the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and actor Salman Khan centres around the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan. Salman Khan, alongwith his ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ co-actors, allegedly hunted two blackbucks that the Bishnoi community considers sacred. The gang has since then regularly threatened the actor and those close to him. 

Apart from Salman Khan, actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam were also named in the case. A Jodhpur court convicted Salman Khan in 2018 and sentenced him to five years in prison.

The other accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Salman Khan was later granted bail after spending a brief period in jail. The actor challenged the conviction, while the Rajasthan government also moved against the acquittal of the other accused.

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Lawrence’s Hitlist

Lawrence Bishnoi gang has recently targeted a series of celebrities. The gang first grabbed national attention with the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Since then, the arc of intimidation has widened dramatically – attacks on singer Gippy Grewal’s home in Canada, firing outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai, threats to AP Dhillon, the murder of politician Baba Siddiqui, and recent incidents targeting Bollywood figures and properties abroad.

The gang has also targeted cafe of comedian Kapil Sharma in Canada on a number of occasions, and also took responsibility of firing at filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Mumbai home. Gang members were involved in firing at actor Disha Patani’s home in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareily as well.