Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is learnt to have told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that politicians and businessmen, who wanted a security detail, paid him a fee in return for a threat call, according to a report by The Indian Express.

Bishnoi, the prime accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, is currently in jail in Bathinda. He has been in NIA custody since April and is being interrogated in a case related to funding for Khalistani outfits.

“He told investigators that he is extorting Rs 2.5 crore every month from liquor dealers, owners of call centres, drug suppliers and real estate businessmen. He claimed that these days, several politicians and businessmen are paying him money for making threatening extortion calls to get security cover from the state police concerned,” a source told The Indian Express.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reportedly been informed about the details that emerged from his questioning.

In addition to this, during the investigation, Lawrence Bishnoi also told the NIA that he has a “business model” involving alliances with jailed gangsters from Uttar Pradesh (Dhanajay Singh), Haryana (Kala Jatheri), Rajasthan (Rohit Godara) and Delhi (Rohit Moi and Hashim Baba).

The gangster has claimed that he had Bollywood actor Salman Khan in his crosshairs over the 1998 case involving the hunting of the black buck, which is considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. He allegedly said that he would forgive Khan only if he “apologises”.

Also Read: Sidhu Moosewala murder case: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi brought to Punjab under heavy security; remanded to 7-day police custody

“He also claimed that he has a close association with some jailed gangsters who are operating against Dawood Ibrahim and in the coming months, he would also start working against him,” the source said, The Indian Express reported.

On Bishnoi’s alliance with Satinder Singh, alias Goldy Brar, the official said: “He (Bishnoi) said during questioning that he met him in a campus of Punjab University in 2010 where Brar was pursuing his BA in the evening session and playing Kabaddi. He was doing athletics at that time and they often met on the playground. After some months, they became close friends. Brar’s father was a police official and he sent his son to Canada for further studies after he had a fight with some people. Now, according to him, he is in the transport business and running 70 trucks.”