Who are Rohit Godara, Goldy Brar, gangsters behind firing at Disha Patani’s house?

The deceased shooters were identified as Ravinder, 24, a resident of Haryana's Rohtak, and Arun, 27, from Haryana's Sonipat.

Also read: Two gangsters killed in encounter after firing at Disha Patani’s home

Following the firing, Godara and Brar had taken responsibility for the attack, stating that it was done in response to insulting remarks made by Patani’s sister Khushboo against spiritual gurus Premanand Maharaj and Anirudh Acharaya Maharaj.

The encounter has once again brought the fugitive gangsters to limelight, exposing a crime underbelly that still operates from foreign locales.

Both Godara and Brar are said to be former aides of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. While some say the duo are no longer affiliated to Bishnoi, who allegedly runs his crime syndicate from jail, some police sources say both Godara and Brar still work for the gangster from the UK and Canada, respectively.

Rohit Godara

A resident of Rajasthan’s Bikaner district, Godara, 36, also known as a close confidant of Brar, is an accused in the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 and Rashtriya Rajput Karna Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in 2023.

After Gogamedi’s murder, Rajasthan Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information on Godara’s whereabouts and had also written to the CBI seeking Interpol assistance to locate him.

Godara is said to be running Bishnoi’s gang from the UK and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is trying to get him deported.

He had reportedly fled to Dubai from Delhi in June 2022 using a fake passport under the name Pawan Kumar.

Also read: Delhi businessmen get 160 extortion calls in 300 days, mostly from foreign-based gangsters

He is also accused of orchestrating the murder of gangster Raju Theth in December 2022. Theth was a rival of gangster Anandpal Singh, who was killed by Rajasthan Police in an encounter in 2017.

In April 2024, Godara was accused of having orchestrated the firing outside actor Salman Khan. A non-bailable warrant was later issued in his name.

Rajasthan Police records say there are at least 30 cases filed against him including murder, attempted murder, extortion, and violations under the Arms Act. He has also been accused of making several extortion calls to businessmen and politicians.

Last year, several entrepreneurs and businessmen in Delhi complained of getting extortion calls from Godara, where he allegedly threatened to harm or kill their families if they do not fulfil his demands.

Also read: Canada, a ‘fertile ground’ for Punjabi gangsters and Bishnoi’s turf wars

The calls reportedly had come after the murder of a businessman named Nadir Shah outside a gym in the Greater Kailash region.

Goldy Brar

Born Satinderjeet Singh, Brar, 31, is a resident of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab. His father was an assistant sub-inspector in Punjab Police.

He has also been named a key conspirator in the murder of Moosewala and is wanted in several extortion of businessmen across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand.

He is also accused of planning the murder of District Youth Congress president Gurlal Singh Pehalwan in Faridkot.

Brar is said to have moved to Canada on a student visa in 2017. Canada’s BOLO program named him among its top 25 wanted fugitives.

Also read: Extortion, smuggling, terror: Bishnoi’s men and Canada-based Khalistanis

He is wanted by the NIA, Delhi Police and Punjab Police in several cases of murder, attempted murder and drug trafficking.

While a Red Corner Notice against him was issued in 2022, enforcement agencies have linked him to banned organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).