CHANDIGARH: The recent surge in gang wars across Punjab indicates that the gangsters are attempting to take control over the state’s music industry and rural sport Kabaddi league, similar to what Mumbai’s underworld did in 1980s through the early 2000s.
In the latest incident, Punjabi singer and Bollywood sensation B Praak, who has belted out several super hits, allegedly got an extortion threat of Rs 10 crore from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The main shooter, who last month shot dead kabaddi promoter and player Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauria, was shot dead in an encounter.
Sources privy to the matter stated that Punjabi singer Dilnoor has reportedly got a threat call warning Praak of dire consequences if money is not paid within a week. In his complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police of SAS Nagar on January 6, Dilnoor stated that the caller reportedly identified himself as Arju Bishnoi and claimed to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. On January 5, Dilnoor received two threat calls from an international number, but he ignored them. But the next day he got another call which he answered briefly but hung up as he was suspicious.
Then in a purported voice message left on the number the caller demanded Rs 10 crore to be paid within a week and warned that if the money was not paid, Praak would be harmed. The caller also cautioned that the threat should not be taken lightly and said that he was operating from outside India.
A police investigation has been initiated into the matter, and the call details and audio messages are being probed. On December 12, kabaddi promoter Balachauria was shot dead during a tournament in Sector 79, Sohana, amid escalating gang rivalries reportedly orchestrated by foreign-based handlers.
The SAS Nagar Police shot dead notorious shooter 23-year-old Karan Pathak on Saturday, who was the key accused and the main shooter who killed Balachauria. According to sources, Pathak—who was arrested in the case recently—complained of chest pain on Friday night and was rushed to a hospital in a police vehicle when it hit a road divider due to fog, during which he managed to flee from custody of the CIA.
A few hours later he was traced near Rurki Kham village on the airport road. During the encounter, Pathak reportedly opened fire at the police as he fired six to seven rounds from a pistol. The police fired around ten rounds. He was injured in the leg but continued firing. Pathak was first taken to a private hospital and then referred to the Phase-6 Civil Hospital, Mohali, but died later. Earlier, Punjab singers like Mankirt Aulakh, Parmish Verma, Karan Aujla, actor-cum-singer Gippy Grewal, Raj Jujhar, singer-politician Balkar Sidh have received extortion and death threats.
A firing incident had taken place outside the residence of Punjabi rapper AP Dhillion in Vancouver, Canada. Gippy was attacked in 2023 and in 2018, Verma was attacked in Mohali. On May 29, 2022, Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead.
The music industry promotes guns and violence through their songs. So, these gangsters find Punjabi singers as their soft target. As the current value of the Punjabi music industry is around thousands of crores and annually a 12 to 15% increase. As it has over 450 registered music labels that release around 20 to 25 songs every day, said the sources.
Also, international kabaddi player Sandeep Singh Sandhu, alias Nangal Ambian, was shot Jalandhar in March 2022.
Then, on November 11 last year, another Player, Gurvinder Singh, was killed in Samrala, Ludhiana, with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility on social media. On October 31, player Tejpal was killed, reportedly over personal enmity.
Sources revealed that it is all related to finances, as Kabaddi is related to making easy money by match fixing, through advertisements and betting. The gangsters have entered into this rural sport due to their interest in Punjabi film and music industry.
“The interest of the gangsters is not related to extortion alone but they also try to legitimate their money through this industry as they float companies and take the rights of the songs of popular singers thus they get perpetual income,’’ disclosed an officer of the Anti Gangster Task Force on the condition of anonymity.
Sources said that the phone calls of these gangster are hard to trace as these are based abroad and they use VPN and encrypted applications as they are of the view that they are safe abroad. “To get their dirty work and executions done here they recruit local youth by giving them allurements like sending them aboard,’’ he added.
The sources further said that the tournament organisers revealed that gangsters exert influence over Kabaddi tournaments to extort money from sponsors, manipulate player participation, and control match outcomes. Some leagues operated by gangsters also extend abroad, including in Canada and the UK.