Bishnoi gang’s ‘Independence Day terror plot’ foiled, six held in Rajasthan raids

Rajasthan and Punjab police have arrested six men, including three minors, accused of plotting terror strikes in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh on Independence Day under the command of Canada-based gangster Zeeshan Akhtar, officials said.

According to Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) Dinesh MN, the arrests were made recently in Jaipur and Tonk districts, following intelligence gathered after a July 7 grenade blast outside a liquor shop in Nawanshahr, Punjab. The suspects, identified as Jitendra Chaudhary of Tonk, Sanjay of Hanumangarh, and Sonu alias Kali from Kapurthala, along with three juveniles, were handed over to Punjab’s Special Operations Cell in Amritsar.

“The accused are operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Their handler is Zeeshan Akhtar, who resides in Canada and had also claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddique in Mumbai,” ADG Dinesh MN told reporters.

Police said Akhtar supplied grenades and gave instructions via encrypted social media apps, directing the group to carry out explosions in Delhi and Gwalior on August 15. The probe has also revealed his alleged nexus with Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti, Babbar Khalsa International operative Manu Agwan, and Gopi Nawanshahria, among others.

The ADG lauded the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) team led by ASP Siddhant Sharma, which operated undercover in Rajasthan before nabbing the suspects on August 10. “The officers risked their lives, concealing their identities, to infiltrate networks and make the arrests,” he said.

Punjab Police has invoked stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) — including conspiracy, abetment of offences punishable with life imprisonment, and arms-related charges — against the accused.

In June, Mumbai Police had confirmed Akhtar’s detention in Canada in connection with the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, but officials say his current status remains unclear.