In a brick-kiln office on the outskirts of Jind in Haryana, businessman Anup Chaudhary was reviewing accounts on the afternoon of 24 March 2026 when his phone rang via WhatsApp. The voice on the other end was calm yet menacing. It demanded Rs 2 crore, threatening to “wipe out” his entire family if he failed to pay. The caller identified himself as Randeep Malik, an associate of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and warned Chaudhary against involving the police. The number quickly vanished. Chaudhary waited until evening before filing a complaint. Police are still tracing the call.
Such incidents have become alarmingly common across northern India. What sets them apart is not the age-old tactic of extortion, but the sophisticated digital infrastructure that now powers it. Social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps have transformed prison cells into remote command centres for some of India’s most powerful organised crime networks, allowing jailed leaders to direct operations with corporate-like efficiency across borders.
The Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate stands out as the most prominent example. Its founder, Lawrence Bishnoi, has been imprisoned since 2014 on multiple charges including murder and extortion. Despite his incarceration, the gang — which Indian authorities estimate has hundreds of members — continues to expand aggressively. Around 300 operate inside India, while others are active in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines.
The gang’s methods are ruthlessly effective. Operatives mine government databases such as GST filings, property records and land registries to identify wealthy targets. They then cross-reference this data with victims’ social media profiles, extracting personal details about family members, business partners and daily routines. The compiled dossiers make threats feel deeply personal and inescapable. Demands are typically issued through WhatsApp voice calls routed via virtual foreign numbers, often made in the name of lieutenants such as Harry Boxer, who is believed to coordinate operations from abroad.
Recruitment has also gone digital. On Instagram and YouTube, glamorous videos featuring luxury cars, weapons and stacks of cash — frequently set to Punjabi rap tracks — lure disaffected young men from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Many start with minor tasks, such as delivering packages or posting online threats, before being drawn deeper into the network. Police in Haryana and Punjab report that handlers use encrypted apps like Signal to assign missions, maintaining distance while keeping recruits engaged.
The results are visible in law enforcement statistics. In January 2026, Delhi Police’s “Operation Gang Bust 2026” led to 854 arrests across six states, including 280 known gangsters, along with seizures of firearms, narcotics and cash. Punjab Police have conducted repeated campaigns such as “Gangstran Te Vaar” and “Operation Prahar” against similar networks. Yet officers concede that traditional raids increasingly feel like a game of whack-a-mole. The real battlefield is digital.
The gang’s reach extends far beyond India, creating diplomatic ripples. Canada formally designated the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity in September 2025, citing its role in extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering and targeted violence within South Asian diaspora communities in British Columbia and Ontario. Similar patterns of intimidation have surfaced in the United Kingdom and the United States, where the syndicate targets Indian-origin businesses while laundering proceeds through fintech channels and cryptocurrency.
High-profile cases illustrate the scale. In recent months, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh reportedly received multiple extortion threats via WhatsApp voice notes, including one demanding ₹10 crore and another linked to ₹20 crore, allegedly from numbers associated with the gang and Harry Boxer. Mumbai Police have tightened security around the actor and are investigating the messages, some traced to international numbers.
Broader cybercrime trends compound the problem. In 2025, Indians filed millions of cybercrime complaints, with financial losses running into tens of thousands of crores of rupees. “Digital arrest” scams — in which fraudsters impersonate police officers via video calls on WhatsApp — frequently overlap with traditional gangster operations, using the same encrypted infrastructure and mule accounts.
Technology platforms face growing scrutiny. WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram provide the encrypted channels and public visibility that enable this model. While companies have stepped up content removals and account takedowns, critics argue that engagement-driven algorithms still amplify sensational criminal content, inadvertently aiding recruitment.
Law enforcement is adapting. India has developed a national Organised Crime Network Database to link cases across states and borders. Extradition efforts are accelerating, courts have begun trying fugitives in absentia, and international cooperation — particularly with Canada and the United States — has improved. A senior investigator recently noted that “the gangster no longer needs to cross the border. He just needs a stable internet connection.”
What is unfolding in India offers a glimpse into the future of organised crime globally. Traditional street hierarchies have not vanished, but they are increasingly augmented — or replaced — by nimble, app-based networks that blend old-world intimidation with digital sophistication. The same tools that have driven India’s economic and social connectivity — affordable smartphones, free messaging services and algorithmic virality — have also lowered the barriers to serious crime while raising the barriers to detection and prosecution.
For now, the WhatsApp calls continue to arrive without warning. Instagram reels keep projecting an alluring image of easy money and power. And in police stations from Jind to Jalandhar, officers work to stay ahead of an adversary that rarely shows its face — until the damage is already done.
