Punjab: Minor girls flee home to meet gangster Lawrence Bishnoi; detained

Officials were notified that two young girls fled their house to meet incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi outside Bathinda Central Prison. The District Child Protection Agency received the young girls who were taking selfies outside the jail after they were turned over to them by the jail administration.

Ravneet Kaur Sidhu, the Child Protection Officer for Bathinda, claimed that the girls were taking selfies outside the Bathinda Central Prison in order to share them with their friends and that Lawrence Bishnoi had persuaded them on social media.

Girls run away from Bathinda

"The minor girls reached Bathinda after lying at home about where they were headed. Both had spent a night at Bathinda railway station as well. After interrogating the girls, we learned that the purpose of taking selfies outside Bathinda Central Jail was to show them to their friends. They have all been influenced by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on social media. Bishnoi is lodged at Bathinda jail," said Ravneet Kaur Sidhu.

Both girls have been taken into custody

The families of the young girls have been contacted, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Singh, and both girls have been taken to Safi Center after receiving medical attention.

"The whole matter is being investigated. The family members of both the minor girls have been summoned. Both minors have been sent to Safi Center after getting medically examined. If anything comes up in the probe, legal action will follow," said Gurpreet Singh.

On November 23, last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Bishnoi in a case related to the alleged conspiracy to recruit youth to carry out terror strikes in Delhi and other parts of the country.