New Delhi [India], April 21 (ANI): Charges are framed against Lawrence Bishnoi and others in an FIR filed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), along with provisions of the Arms Act and Explosives Act.

Charges have been framed against all 20 accused persons, paving the way for a full-fledged trial against an alleged interstate organised crime syndicate.

The case centres around a well-entrenched gang network involving Lawrence Bishnoi, with other key members including Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri, Sampat Nehra, Rajkumar alias Raju Basodi, Virender Pratap alias Kala Rana, Naresh alias Sethi, Anil alias Leela, Priyavrat alias Kala/Fauji, Sachin alias Bhanja, Akshay alias Palda, and others, all of whom have now been formally charged.

Appearing for the Delhi Police, Advocate Akhand Pratap argued that the material on record clearly establishes the existence of an organised crime syndicate operating across multiple states and warrants trial under the stringent MCOCA provisions.

The FIR was registered by the Special Cell in March 2021 after prior approval under Section 23 of the MCOCA against the Bishnoi Kala Jatheri syndicate, which, as per investigators, maintained a vast criminal network spread across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and beyond.

Investigators have alleged that the syndicate systematically engaged in extortion, contract killings, illegal arms trafficking and terror-based intimidation, targeting businessmen and local operators for protection money. Statements of witnesses and confessional disclosures of accused persons point to a coordinated structure where funds generated from extortion were channelled into procuring sophisticated weapons and sustaining gang operations.

The charge sheet also highlights that several accused, including Lawrence Bishnoi, continued to run the syndicate from inside jail using smuggled mobile phones, directing operations through associates both within India and abroad. The investigation further revealed links to gang members operating from foreign locations such as Canada and Thailand, indicating the transnational reach of the network.

Significant recoveries, including pistols, assault rifles, grenades, detonators and large quantities of live cartridges, have been cited as crucial evidence demonstrating the operational capacity of the gang.

With the court now framing charges against all 20 accused, the case moves into the trial stage, where the prosecution will seek to establish the full extent of the alleged organised crime syndicate and the role of each accused in executing its operations. (ANI)