The firing attempt on actor Tiger Shroff, followed by a purported warning from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility and advising him against working with Salman Khan, has once again drawn attention to how the syndicate led by the Punjab-born gangster has been steadily seeking to fill the space once occupied by Mumbai’s underworld, formerly dominated by Dawood Ibrahim.Lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, Lawrence Bishnoi has spent nearly a decade in custody, including earlier periods of incarceration. Yet his syndicate, aided by a network of associates and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi (who is lodged in Tihar jail), has managed to expand its footprint across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and increasingly, Mumbai.What continues to intrigue investigators is that despite being housed in a high-security prison where he is not even allowed to attend court hearings physically, Bishnoi’s criminal network has remained active.Several high-profile incidents have been linked to the syndicate in recent years. These include the firing outside Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence in 2024, for which associates of the gang reportedly claimed responsibility. The syndicate has also been linked by investigators to the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and the shooting outside the residence of actress Disha Patani’s parents in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.Responsibility for the Bareilly incident was claimed by Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, two overseas-based operatives known to be closely associated with the Bishnoi network.With the syndicate now allegedly claiming responsibility for the attack on Tiger Shroff as well, attention has again turned to Bishnoi’s reported ambition of establishing influence over Mumbai’s underworld.Investigators have previously suggested that Bishnoi envisioned expanding his network into Mumbai at a time when the influence of the Dawood Ibrahim-led underworld has waned. The group’s alleged strategy of recruiting young operatives from Punjab and using them as foot soldiers is seen by security agencies as part of that larger objective.The syndicate’s reported involvement, direct or indirect, in a string of attacks targeting film personalities and political figures has further strengthened concerns over its growing reach. Its repeated threats against Salman Khan over the alleged blackbuck poaching case dating back to 1998 have drawn particular attention.