Revenge? Bishnoi gang claims surface over a killing in California | India News

NEW DELHI: In the winter of 2022, a drug lord named Sunil Yadav landed in Delhi. He had cops and gangsters from Punjab chasing him. The crime syndicate wanted him as he was accused of snitching on Ankit Bhadu, an aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Bhadu was killed by Punjab police in 2019. In Delhi, Yadav aka Goli was able to get a passport issued in the name of ‘Rahul’ and fly to Dubai, from where he embarked on a perilous “Donkey route” journey to the US, reports .
Two days ago, Yadav was gunned down by assailants who barged into his house in Stockton, California. Early Tuesday, the Bishnoi group claimed responsibility – with US-based gangster Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara announcing it on social media – ending a five-year-long pursuit.
Gangster gunned down in California had drug trafficking ops in Dubai, US
The Facebook post read: “To all brothers, I, Rohit Godara, and Goldy Brar, take full responsibility for the murder of Sunil Yadav, alias Goli, in California. He had colluded with Punjab police to orchestrate the encounter of our beloved brother, Ankit Bhadu. We have avenged his death.”
The post also mentioned the house number (6,706) where Yadav was killed. The post further alleged that Sunil Yadav was involved in drug trade, supplying narcotics in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, and had ties with the police. It also claimed that he had fled to the US after his role in Ankit Bhadu’s encounter was exposed.
The post concluded with a warning: “To all our enemies, be prepared. We will reach you, no matter where you are in the world.” Investigators confirmed that Yadav’s involvement in international-level drug trafficking operations spanned across Dubai and the US.
“He was from Abohar, in Punjab’s Fazilka district. He had managed to evade authorities by fleeing to the US two years ago using a fake passport,” said a senior police officer.
Interestingly, another associate, Rohit Godara, had also obtained a fake passport around the same time in the name of Pawan. The Rajasthan Police had issued a red corner notice against Yadav, soon after and a few of his associates were arrested in Dubai through local agencies.
After Yadav’s killing, the Stockton police said in a statement: “Homicide (0349) at 6700 block of Mount Elbrus Way, Bear Creek District… Officers responded to the area of the call location on a report of a person shot. On arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was declared deceased, and detectives responded.”
Ankit Bhadu, whose death had been haunting the Bishnoi group, was a prominent name in Punjab’s underworld. Following Bishnoi’s arrest, Bhadu seized control of the gang’s operations. Both Bishnoi and Ankit, along with Yadav, came from the same place – Fazilka in Punjab. Ankit was born into an agricultural family and had abandoned his education midway. In the aftermath of Lawrence’s incarceration, Bhadu’s notoriety soared in Punjab and Rajasthan, with his name becoming synonymous with numerous cases of extortion, murder and coercion. Prominent businessmen lived in fear of his ransom demands and life threats.
Bhadu’s criminal tentacles extended far beyond Punjab and Rajasthan, with police in Haryana, Delhi, UP and Himachal Pradesh also seeking his capture. The Rajasthan and Haryana police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for information leading to his arrest, while Punjab police had offered a more substantial reward of Rs 2 lakh.
In Aug 2018, Bhadu had a narrow escape from a police cordon laid by cops from Sriganganagar and Haryana. In the spring of 2019, the Punjab police’s special intelligence cell finally tracked down and killed Bhadu, aged 23, in an encounter near Zirakpur. Interestingly, police had nabbed his girlfriend from Delhi airport a few days before the encounter. She had come back from Canada to meet him.