Mumbai: Fugitive gangster Anmol Bishnoi has applied for political asylum in the United States after being arrested for using fake documents to cross border illegally from Canada earlier in the year.
Jailed gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi younger sibling Anmol was arrested by the US authorities last week in Sacramento, California and currently being held in Pottawattamie County Jail in Iowa.
According to senior police officials, Anmol may have intentionally turned himself in to US authorities as a strategy to seek asylum and avoid extradition to India.
Anmol Bishnoi is wanted by the Indian law enforcement agencies including Mumbai police is several cases including the high-profile shooting incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's Mumbai home and politician Baba Siddiqui killing last month. He was booked under the stringent the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the special court had issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest along with a Red Corner Notice.
“Anmol has applied for political asylum for evading extradition to India,” confirmed senior Mumbai Police crime branch official adding the precedence of another Lawrence Bishnoi aide Goldie Brar seeking asylum in US and getting out on bail.
Mumbai had sent extradition proposal and shared details of Anmol Bishnoi to the US authorities about his whereabouts in California leading to the arrest last week.
Anmol Bishnoi fled India in 2023 using a fake passport to Canada and later entered US illegally which was tracked down by Mumbai Police crime branch and alerted the US authorities. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Anmol Bishnoi last week for illegal entry using fake documents.
The Indian law enforcement agencies have little hope of Anmol Bishnoi extradition to face trial in over 18 cases of murders and extortion including cases of terrorism filed by the National Investigation Agancy (NIA).
