Lawrence Bishnoi (File Photo)
NEW DELHI: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is learnt to have been recently shifted to “Do sau kholi”, a specialised high-security block at Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail housing 200 dangerous inmates accused of terrorism and other heinous offences, sources say.
To ensure total isolation and prevent inter-cell movement, the block has four segregated sections of 50 prisoners each. The size of his cell is roughly 7.5x11 ft.The move is part of an elaborate security plan to clip the wings of Bishnoi.
Lawrence put in block which also houses 2008 blasts convicts
Prior to 2023-2024, Lawrence routinely made extortion calls, circulated threatening audio and video messages to manage his network and even gave interviews from different jails.
But investigators have reported zero direct calls or communication originating from him over the past two years.Over the past two years, investigators have reported zero direct calls or communication originating from Lawrence Bishnoi.“Block 200” is a maximum-security area within Sabarmati jail which holds convicts of the 2008 serial blasts case and other serious cases and is generally the zone for prisoners convicted of serious offences and restrained from moving outside the prison under the provisions of Section 303 of the BNSS.
Before this, Lawrence was held in “Dus Kholi,” a smaller high-security enclosure accommodating just 10 inmates. Prior to that, he was in Tihar jail and different jails in Punjab. Recorded calls of Lawrence threatening call centre owners and even a purported conversation with gangster Shehzad Bhatti had surfaced while he was in these jails.Deprived of physical interaction and digital access, Lawrence now lives under round-the-clock solitary surveillance.
He reportedly maintains a disciplined, ascetic lifestyle inside his cell — spending mornings in meditation, regularly reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, observing fasts and maintaining a vegetarian diet. His only interactions with outside world involve attending court hearings via video conferencing and discussing his legal strategy with his lawyer.
However, while he is isolated inside Sabarmati jail, his syndicate continues to operate globally through a decentralised chain of command.
A ‘shadow cabinet’ comprising his top henchmen runs its day-to-day operations from foreign safe havens.Key members of the core group coordinate recruitment, tasking and logistics, besides sharing screenshots. There is a parallel group which deals with planning, financing and target selection. Most of them, including kingpins Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, have gone underground since the FBI’s Operation Hardball.