CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police estimate at least 45 gangsters are active in the state. What is alarming is gangsters sitting within India and abroad are hiring men for contract killings. Besides, interstate linkages of gangsters are proving a headache for the police.
Police sources say at least six Punjabi singers and actors paid protection money of Rs 10 lakh each in two months to these gangsters. Spooked by such reports, the state police on Wednesday formed the Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) that will assess afresh the activities of these gangsters.
Sources said the police had listed 545 gangsters in the state a few years ago. The police acted against 500 of them, eliminating known criminals such as Vicky Gounder, Prema Lahoria and Jaipal. While at least 250 of them are lodged in various jails of the state, others have fled Punjab.
In four years, six different gangs have cropped up with their areas of operations in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. “We will reassess these gangs and categorize them,’’ said a senior police officer.
Police sources say these gangs have “invested” money in Punjab’s thriving music and film industry. Since financial stakes are high, they threaten singers and actors to get distribution rights. The gangsters have also attacked and killed kabaddi players belonging to various leagues in small towns of the state.
Gangs led by Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha are viciously opposed to each and lose no opportunity to kill rivals members and those associated with them. Police sources said gangs from other states are linking up with their counterparts in Punjab. “Each gang wants to prove its supremacy by controlling territories. However, the bigger concern is that these gangsters and are in touch with terror outfits that supply them weapons from across the border,” said a senior police officer.
The police are aware about the in-jail operations of some of the criminals. Last year over 2,900 mobile phones were recovered from jails. The count for this year stands at 1,300. “We had a case in which a gangster was found making a video call in Faridkot jail,” said a police officer.
Meanwhile, Punjab's ruling party AAP on Thursday accused the opposition political outfits of playing "dirty politics" over the death of famous singer Moose Wala.
Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang asserted that justice will be delivered by arresting assailants very soon in this case.
The unfortunate incident of the singer's death has again exposed the "double-standards" of Akali and Congress parties, he said.
"Those leaders, who have been associating Sidhu with gangsters and blaming him for promoting gun culture in Punjab, are now playing cheap tactics to gain political mileage and malign the AAP government's clean image," Kang alleged.
On May 29, Moosewala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Punjab's Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security cover.
Lambasting the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Kang claimed that Sukhbir Singh Badal had called Sidhu Moose Wala a gangster.
"The gangsters and mafia regime flourished during decades of ruling by both the Congress and Akali Dal. The future of youngsters was annihilated by drugs in Punjab due to their nefarious governance. However, now they are attempting to put all blame for all their wrongdoings with Punjabis on the AAP government," said Kang.
Kang said it is condemnable that instead of sharing grief with the slain singer's family, the Congress was "chalking out strategies" for the upcoming Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll and their leaders were "shedding crocodile tears" at the singer's last rites for political gains.
"The Opposition parties are perturbed with the dynamic functioning of the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in just two months, which they could not do in decades. They want to defame the government by hook and crook and their ostensible goal is to spoil peace in Punjab," Kang alleged.
The AAP government has been under fire from the Opposition parties over the pruning of security cover of 424 people and then allegedly making the list of protectees public.
(With PTI Inputs)
Gangs of Punjab
Bambiha Co: Headed by Gaurav Patial alias Lucky. He is reportedly ensconced in Armenia. The gang was named after Davinder Bambiha, who was killed in a police encounter in 2016.
Bishnoi & Co: Lawrence Bishnoi is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. His gang is active in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.
Bhagwanpuria band: Known as the ‘supari king’ in Punjab, it is headed by Jasdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria who is lodged in Tihar jail.