• Source:JND
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After a video purportedly showed jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, lodged in Gujarat's Sabarmati central jail, talking to a Pakistan's gangster Shahzad Bhatti and wishing him happy Eid over a video call, the state government ordered a probe on Tuesday. In the 19-second clip, Bishnoi could be seen wishing Bhatti on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha (celebrated in India on June 17), to which the Pakistan gangster could be heard replying that we will celebrate the festival tomorrow. At the end of the viral clip, Lawrence Bishnoi tells Bhatti he will call him tomorrow to extend Eid wishes.

As the video went viral over social media platforms, the Gujarat government plunged into action, ordering a probe into the matter, PTI reported. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified by the English Jagran team.

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Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's governed Home Ministry, which oversees the prisons in the state, has ordered an inquiry in the clip, said Government spokesperson and education minister Rushikesh Patel.

"I learnt about this issue just today (Tuesday) morning. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi has already ordered a probe into it and asked the authorities to go into detail. Every aspect related to the purported video, such as whether it is new or an old one, will be investigated," said Rushikesh Patel.

Lawrence Bishnoi was transferred to Sabarmati jail in August 2023 from Delhi's Tihar jail by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). The ATS while probing a cross-border drug smuggling case, came across his role in the crime, and made him a prime accused in the case. After Bishnoi completed his remand in the case, he was sent to judicial custody and placed in the high-security cell of the Sabarmati Central Prison.

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Notably, Bishnoi has over 12 cases of murder and extortion against him at present. Some reports speculate his connections with over 700 shooters across the globe, making him one of the most dreaded gangsters in India. He was suspected to have played a major role in the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, the Punjab Police had said.

Bishnoi's repeated attempts to harm Bollywood actor Salman Khan also gained him notoriety. In a recent targeted shooting against a star actor, Bishnoi's shooters carried out gunfire outside his residence in Bandra on April 2024.

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