Despite such high-profile cases against the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, why are the police in Mumbai and other states unable to take Lawrence Bishnoi into custody and interrogate him? What is the Home Ministry’s order that has tied everyone’s hands?
Published: October 22, 2026, 1:02 PM IST
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Firing on Tiger Shroff, threat to Salman Khan, yet why is Mumbai Police unable to interrogate Lawrence Bishnoi? (File)
The men who shot Tiger Shroff in the middle of a crowded Mumbai street have identified themselves as members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gangThis is the same Lawrence Bishnoi gang that has been after Salman Khan and even fired shots outside his homeThe big question is why police in various states are unable to take Lawrence Bishnoi into custody and interrogate him?
Reports indicate that prior to the attack on Tiger Shroff on October 18, these individuals had also conducted recce outside the homes of several other celebritiesHowever, finding Tiger’s security lax, they attacked himTwo years earlier, on October 12, 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead in MumbaiThe Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for this murder as wellHowever, even then, the Mumbai Police failed to detain and interrogate Lawrence Bishnoi.
Why can’t Lawrence be interrogated?
Lawrence Bishnoi is lodged in the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, GujaratA Times of India report states that he cannot be taken out of jail due to an order from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)This order is hindering police in several states from investigating the cases filed against himThese cases include serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder, extortion, and drug and arms traffickingIn August 2023, the Union Home Ministry issued an order under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), prohibiting Bishnoi from being taken out of Sabarmati JailThis order was in effect for one year and has been extended annually thereafterThe CrPC has now been replaced by the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS)Under this, Section 303 also prohibits the movement of a person from being taken out of prisonNot only Lawrence, but his brother Anmol has also been charged with this sectionAnmol Bishnoi was extradited from the US to India in November 2025 and placed in Tihar JailSubsequently, the Home Ministry issued a similar order for him on December 5, 2025.
What does Section 303 of the BNSS say?
Under Section 303 of the Indian Civil Security Code, the state government can prohibit a prisoner from leaving the prison where they are lodgedIf the case involves a central investigating agency like the NIA, the central government can also issue such an orderWhen making such a decision, the government must consider several factors: the seriousness of the charges against the accused, whether there is a risk of law and order disruption if they are taken out of prison, and whether doing so is in the public interestA key aspect of this provision is that while the ban is in effect, the accused can be prevented from leaving the prison despite a court order for their productionThis means that the police cannot take Lawrence or Anmol into custody simply on the basis of a production warrant.
Why does the Mumbai Police want Lawrence Bishnoi’s custody?
Lawrence Bishnoi and his network have been implicated in several high-profile criminal cases in MumbaiThese include the murder of Baba Siddiqui in Bandra East and the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s home in April 2024The gang also claimed responsibility for the firing outside director Rohit Shetty’s Juhu home in February of this yearThe chargesheets related to these cases list Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi as wanted accusedHowever, due to an order from the Home Ministry, which falls under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Mumbai Police is unable to release the brothers from jail and take them into custodyThe police say that interrogating the accused face-to-face would help advance the investigationWhile Lawrence is in Gujarat, his brother Anmol Bishnoi is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
Not only India, but the US police also want to imprison Lawrence BishnoiIn July 2026, a US grand jury indicted Bishnoi and several other gangsters for running an international criminal network.
What the police is planning?
Conducting interrogations in prison is not an easy processInvestigating officials say that typically only one or two officers are permitted to conduct interrogations in prisonFurthermore, the time for interrogation is pre-determined, creating difficulties in investigationsPolice often want to question the accused in front of their associates or other individuals involved in the case to verify statements and informationThis becomes difficult within the prison, given the limited time and limited number of officersIn August 2026, Lawrence Bishnoi appeared before a Chandigarh court via video conferencing.
That is, on the one hand, the police say that direct custody of the accused is necessary for an effective investigationOn the other hand, due to security and law and order concerns, the Home Ministry has prohibited his release from prison.
