Punjab: Bambiha gang takes responsibility for killing gangster Jarnail Singh in Amritsar

A day after gangster Jarnail Singh, alias Jarnail Bal, was shot dead by four assailants at his native Sathiala village in Baba Bakala sub division of Amritsar district, a Facebook post has surfaced claiming the responsibility for the killing.

The post from a Facebook account named after gangster Davinder Bambiha has claimed that Jarnail was linked to gangsters Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Harry Chatha. The post said that the murder was committed by Doni Bal of Sathiala village and gangster Gopi Mahal. The post claimed that Jarnail was not a member of the Gopi Ghanshampuria gang.

According to police, Jarnail was a member of the Gopi Ghanshampuria gang.

Gangster Davinder Bambiha was killed in an encounter in September 2016. However, his gang continues to operate.

After Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s killing, the Bambiha gang had said that it will avenge the singer’s killing.

The Bambiha gang is a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The Bambiha gang was run by Davinder Bambiha, whose real name was Davinder Singh Sidhu. A popular kabbadi player and sharpshooter, he hailed from the Bambiha Bhai village in Moga district.

In 2010, when pursuing an arts degree, Bambiha was arrested and jailed for murder in the village. At 21, he escaped from prison and formed a gang and went on to become one of the most wanted criminals in Punjab in 2012. He was named in several murder cases and was involved in looting and snatching, posting about his unlawful activities on Facebook, as if boasting about them and even challenging the Punjab Police. The gang ran an extortion racket in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Amritsar-rural, Satinder Singh said they have identified the accused, but couldn’t disclose their names as it would hamper investigation. He said their investigation to ascertain the motive behind the killing is still on.

Four masked men pumped several bullets into Jarnail’s body, killing him on the spot. He had gone to a shop in the village for getting fodder for cattle when the incident occurred.

Jarnail has been facing four criminal cases, including under the Arms Act, and he was on bail. Jarnail, a weight lifter, remained president of the government college in his village. He was also active in politics and had been supporting a former MLA.