Pimpri-Chinchwad: The whole area of Pimpri-Chinchwad was shaken on Friday night when gunshots were heard in the Ravet area at around 9.20 pm. The gunshots were aimed at a furniture mall, and since then, multiple reports and updates have come forward.
According to available reports, a few minutes after the shots were fired, a collaborative post was made by accounts named Aarzoo Bishnoi and Shubham Lonkar, saying they were a part of the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang and they did it to target alleged Hawala money operator Ashok Nain.
Case Registered…
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, senior police inspector Nitin Fatangare, in charge of the Ravet Police Station, said, “A case has been registered under charges of attempt to murder and extortion, along with relevant sections of the Arms Act. A total of 10 teams are investigating the matter, and we hope to apprehend the accused soon. Nobody was injured in this incident.”
Fatangare revealed that one of the partners of the AJ furniture mall had been getting threat calls for the past few days, and the partner had blocked the number. “Some unidentified persons had allegedly been demanding an extortionate amount of Rs 2 crore from him. Following Friday’s incident, his partner, Jagdish Bishnoi, filed a complaint,” he said.
‘No Evidence On Lawrence Bishnoi Link’
Speaking on the Lawrence Bishnoi row, Sr PI Fatangare further said, “There are claims that the shooting was linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. However, we have not found any connection or concrete evidence supporting this claim. The viral Facebook post now appears to be deleted.”
However, before being deleted, the post had already gone viral on social media. In the message, the accused claimed responsibility for the firing at AJ Furniture Mall in Pune and alleged that the attack was aimed at businessman Ashok Nain over an extortion dispute. The post warned that the firing was only a “trailer” and threatened more serious consequences in the future.
It also issued a death threat to another businessman involved in the furniture business. The message was signed in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi Group and included hashtags mentioning several alleged gang associates.
The Viral Post Claiming Bishnoi Gang Links On Social Media | Sourced
Who Is Shubham Lonkar?
The most shocking thing about the post was that it was allegedly made from the account belonging to absconding accused Shubham Lonkar.
Shubham Lonkar is a wanted accused linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and is believed to operate mainly from Pune and Akola in Maharashtra. He has been accused of involvement in several major crimes, including the murder conspiracy of NCP leader Baba Siddique in October 2024, the firing outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence, and threats linked to actor Salman Khan’s case.
Police have also linked him to multiple extortion cases targeting politicians and businessmen. Originally aspiring to join the Indian Army, Lonkar allegedly later became an arms supplier and recruiter for the Bishnoi syndicate after receiving illegal weapons training abroad.
Police Verifying Viral Claims…
A police source told The FPJ that the owners of the AJ Furniture Mall are from the Rajasthan area, and they have a reason to believe that this all stems from an old dispute which happened in Rajasthan in history.
Speaking to PTI, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dr Shivaji Pawar said, “We are verifying the screenshot of what appears to be a social media post by Aarzoo Bishnoi and Shubham Lonkar claiming responsibility.”
(With Inputs From PTI)
