'Lawrence Jacket' Craze: Gangster-Inspired Outfit Goes Viral In Rajasthan, Police Arrest 3 Sellers

Rajasthan Police on Tuesday arrested three men for selling black-and-orange jackets modelled after the one worn by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in his viral images. Branded online as the "Lawrence Jacket," the trend has rapidly gained popularity across the state, prompting police action as the gangster-linked merchandise sparked concern.Kotputli-Behror police arrested three men for selling replicas of the jacket in the local market. SP Devendra Kumar Bishnoi said Krishna alias Guddu Sharma, 38, Sanjay Saini, 31, and Sureshchand Sharma, 50, were caught selling 35 jackets with the gangster’s name at City Plaza in Kotputli town, TOI reported. The police said the arrests were made following directives from headquarters to curb the glorification

of criminals and gangsters."Under the supervision of ASP Nazim Ali and Circle Officer Rajendra Kumar Burdak, the Kotputli team led by SHO Rajesh Kumar Sharma conducted raids after gathering intelligence on individuals selling jackets branded with Bishnoi's name," he said, according to the report.Police officials said the trend was “dangerous” as it glorifies gangsters and fuels fascination with gang culture. “We have in the past acted against social media users who glorify gangsters. This is how these criminal groups draw impressionable youth into their network,” said a senior police officer. Police have launched an inquiry to trace others involved in the sale or promotion of such items.

E-commerce platforms land in trouble

Last year, e-commerce platforms fell into trouble after the Maharashtra State Cyber Department discovered that several websites, such as Flipkart, AliExpress, TeeShopper, and Etsy, were selling T-shirts with images of Bishnoi and even Dawood Ibrahim. The products were quickly taken down from the site.Currently lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Lawrence Bishnoi, the head of the Bishnoi gang, has been linked to several high-profile crimes even in India. His network is accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and Mumbai politician Baba Siddiqui and has repeatedly issued threats to actor Salman Khan. Prominent members of the gang include his younger brother, Anmol Bishnoi, and Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar.