Sources in the New Delhi police force have found an interesting change in the criminal world. A strong part of the criminal group is now made up of women who are closely linked to the jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Investigators say that these women have taken on operating roles that go far beyond standard support and that they have even run complicated crimes on their own at times. Their participation shows a big change in the way gangs are organized, with women now playing important parts in dangerous and profitable businesses.
As more women get involved in crime
Police studies in northern India show that the wives and lovers of several gang members have become powerful members of the Bishnoi organization. It is thought that these women are involved in kidnappings, drug dealing, bribery and killing specific people. A lot of them stepped up after their male partners were arrested, killed or taken out of operations in some other way. Others set up their own illegal groups and then joined the bigger group’s operations.
Khusnuma Ansari, who is better known as Neha or Madam Zeher in the criminal world, is one of the important people. Authorities say she ran a large drug network out of a beauty salon in northeast Delhi. Ansari stayed in touch with top gang members and coordinated shipping and money-related activities with them.
Criminal plans that work together and high profile arrests
Pooja Sharma, who goes by the names Maya and Deepa, is another well known person. Police in Chandigarh on March 2024 caught her after getting information about a plot to kill her that she was working on while she was pretending to be a lawyer. According to investigations, what she did had something to do with working together with other groups that supported the Bishnoi. Sharma and a few other women were very involved in carrying out strategic plans. They had great planning and military skills that were on par with male gang leaders.
Authorities say that female agents often do things like gathering information, getting weapons, hiring new agents, and managing communication networks. The way police watch for and catch gang members has changed as gang members become better known. Investigators say that women in the gang not only help out, but sometimes make decisions. They show strength and flexibility when their male peers are arrested or killed.
Patterns of how women are involved in the underworld
Officials from the police force stress that these are not isolated cases. Women have been linked to violent crimes, bribery schemes and large scale drug sales in Delhi NCR and nearby states. They are involved in everything from planning shootouts to making sure that operations and money transfers go smoothly. Investigators say this is a planned trend in which female agents are being given more and more top roles.
Their presence makes probes harder because they usually work in secret and look like they are doing normal business.
What this means for public safety and law enforcement
Authorities warn that the fact that women are now in charge of the Bishnoi gang will make things harder for police. Police need to change how they operate to deal with networks that are more flexible, hidden and strong. Analysts say that to break down these networks, communities need to be more alert, information gathering needs to be improved, and states need to work together.
Khusnuma Ansari and Pooja Sharma CASE
Their cases showed how India’s criminal justice system has undergone change. The fact that females are becoming more important in the Bishnoi network is a warning that crime groups are always changing. They are very smart and can do high risk activities and fill in for leaders who aren’t available. This goes against the way most police work. The studies that are still going on are meant to make sure that these networks are taken down and that public safety is kept up in the areas that are touched.
