Wanted gangster Anmol Bishnoi was taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency for 11 days after his deportation from the United States.

A Delhi court on Wednesday approved the NIA’s request for custodial interrogation, observing that the accusations against Anmol, also known as Bhanu, were serious and required extensive investigation.

He was produced before the Patiala House Court around 5 pm under tight security.

Anmol, the brother and close aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is wanted in several high-profile criminal cases.

These include the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, the firing at actor Salman Khan’s residence in April 2024, and the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

According to the NIA’s chargesheet, he has been implicated in eleven criminal cases registered across multiple police stations.

Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma noted that the agency had sought fifteen days of custody, citing Anmol’s alleged involvement in handling financial operations for gangs and providing them with logistical support.

The court also recorded his suspected role in extortion, harming victims and identifying foot soldiers tasked with executing targeted killings and furthering terror activities.

The judge stated that Anmol is alleged to have operated from abroad and that, along with co accused individuals, he was part of a terror gangster syndicate engaged in terrorist activities.

The court highlighted that the NIA pointed to several aspects of the conspiracy that still needed to be uncovered.

These include his role in planning, his modus operandi, sources of funding for the alleged terror conspiracy and details of social media accounts used to claim responsibility for attacks carried out by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

“I find that allegations made against the accused are serious. The scope of the investigation and the evidence collected during the investigation is very wide,” Judge Sharma said.

He added that the NIA’s plea for custody was “based on reasonable and justifiable grounds” before granting 11 days’ custodial interrogation.

During the proceedings, Anmol denied the allegations and confirmed that he had received a copy of the arrest memo.

He also informed the court that he had engaged an advocate of his choice and verified that a medical examination had been conducted.

The court directed the NIA to ensure “proper and reasonable precautions” for his safety and ordered that he be examined in a government hospital every forty eight hours.

It further instructed the Investigating Officer to prepare a video recording of the entire journey from the court to the place where he will be held.

Speaking to PTI, Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi said the accused would be produced before the court again on November 29, after the completion of his custodial period. “We are trying to find how he fled India,” he said.

Security was heightened in and around the court premises during the hearing, with RAF personnel deployed, and media persons were not permitted to attend the proceedings.

Anmol, who had been absconding since 2022 and living in the United States, is the nineteenth accused arrested in connection with the terror gangster syndicate allegedly led by Lawrence Bishnoi.

According to the NIA, he was chargesheeted in March 2023 after investigations indicated that he had actively assisted designated individual terrorist Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi in carrying out acts of terrorism in India between 2020 and 2023.