When Sunil Yadav, an alleged drug smuggler from Punjab who ran the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s illegal narcotics business in the US, was killed at Stockton city in California on December 23, Lawrence’s accomplices Rohit Godara and Goldy Brar had taken responsibility for his murder.
On why he got his own gang member killed, Brar had claimed on Facebook that it was to avenge Ankit Bhadu – a shooter of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang – because Sunil Yadav “had colluded with Punjab Police to orchestrate (his) encounter”. Bhadu, who was involved in multiple cases of murder, extortion and attempt to murder, was killed by a team of Punjab Police’s Organised Crime Control Unit in Zirakpur in February 2019.
Delhi Police officers, however, claimed that Yadav was killed as Brar and Godara thought he was “creating a parallel organisation in Bhadu’s name” even after his death and that too within the gang.
“Bhadu and Sunil (Yadav) were both active in Sri Ganganagar as members of Lawrence Bishnoi gang and were very close to each other. Godara became the main aide of Lawrence Bishnoi after Bhadu was killed. However, Sunil and few other gang members saw Bhadu as their leader even after his death,” a Delhi Police Special Cell officer said.
Around 2021, the officer added, relations between Brar, Godara and Yadav worsened. “Sunil had been operating the gang’s illegal drug business and extortion in the name of Bhadu even after his death and not Brar and Godara who had taken over after Bhadu’s murder,” the officer said.
“Godara believed Sunil was creating a parallel organisation in Bhadu’s name and that too within the gang itself. That’s why they killed Sunil,” the officer added.
The officer further said, “…Godara also wanted to gain the support of Bhadu’s supporters by showing them that Sunil was responsible for the killing of their idol (Bhadu) and now Godara has honored his memory by avenging him.” Yadav, who belonged to the Fazilka district in Punjab, had fled to the US two years ago, using a fake passport, the officer said.
Godara and Brar, both allegedly in the US, are key men of the gang, executing the orders of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged at Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad.
The gang was involved in a number of shootings and extortion call in the Capital in 2024, including the killing of alleged police informer and gym owner Nadir Shah in Greater Kailash.
The police said that after Bhadu’s death in 2019, Godara and Brar had became even more central to the gang’s operations in North India.
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