Social Media Misfire: Youth, Inspired By Lawrence Bishnoi, Arrested For Posting Photos With Firearms

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested a 22-year-old man, inspired by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, from Dwarka for posting his photographs with illegal firearms on social media. A senior police official on Saturday confirmed the incident saying that the accused wanted to gain popularity on social media.

The police official identified the accused as Akash, a resident of Haryana ’s Jhajjar, who is said to be inspired by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and wanted to gain notoriety on social media by posting photos with firearms.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said a dedicated police team has been formed to keep a close watch on active criminals through various social media platforms.

"The team stumbled upon a photo of one Akash posing with firearms on Instagram. His account was promptly followed and intelligence gathered to track him down," Singh said.

Acting on an input, Akash was caught from a spot near the Kair bus depot on Mitraon Kair Road on October 15, the officer said.

A country-made pistol and a live cartridge were seized from his possession and a case was registered under the Arms Act at the Jaffarpur Kalan police station.

During interrogation, Akash disclosed that he wanted to gain notoriety like Lawrence Bishnoi, another officer said.

He said he got the firearms from one Kalu about a month ago and uploaded the photos on Instagram to boost his popularity. The accused has more than 9,000 followers on Instagram, the officer said.