Chandigarh: Police statements and conflicting claims by various gangsters after the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala have made one thing amply clear – security threat in present-day Punjab is as real from inside as it is from outside.Not long ago after a police intelligence building in Mohali came under attack of separatist Khalistani forces, the gruesome murder of Moosewala had uncovered, what many believed, inconvenient truths about Punjab’s growing gang culture.Few stray incidents in the past like the non-fatal attack on singer Parmish Verma or threat calls to actor Gippy Grewal for extortion had not generated much conversation around their illegal activities.But the manner in which Moosewala was gunned down, and the open admission of the crime by members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has, for the first time, made people realise that Punjab’s gangsters are in a different league now.Hindustan Times has quoted an Additional Director General of Police-rank officer who claimed that an even bigger concern is the involvement of local gangs in anti-national activities, suggesting that the grenade attack at Mohali police intelligence building was the handiwork of a collaboration between Khalistani forces and gangsters.Why was Moosewala killed?This is a tricky question with no straight answers.This is because not only have Punjab police flip flopped on the crime’s motive, but the claims and counterclaims made by gangs have made the situation more complex.Soon after news spread that Moosewala had been gunned down in his home district, a Facebook post by one Goldy Brar of the Lawrence Bishnoi group came as a rude shock for the millions of his fans on social media.Lawrence Bishnoi. Photo: Twitter.While claiming responsibility for Moosewala’s killing, Brar claimed that his murder was retaliation of his involvement in the killing of ‘our brother’ Vicky Midhukhera, a youth Akali Dal leader, who was shot dead last year in August.Good old times.An old photograph of #SidhuMoosewala & #vickymiddukhera (in white Kurta Pyjamas) in one frame. #sidhumoosewaala is apparently murdered to avenge murder of #Middukhera in August 2021. pic.twitter.com/b0pUIHf67z— Ritesh Lakhi (@RiteshLakhi) June 2, 2022While giving the impression that Moosewala had connections with members of a rival gang, Brar also blamed him for the death of Gurlal Brar, former student of Panjab University, who was also closely associated with Lawrence Bishnoi.Bishnoi too had been a student leader in PU a decade ago before drifting into the world of crime.This claim got further boost when Punjab DGP V.K. Bhawra at a press conference on the day of Moosewala’s murder revealed that his death is “suspected to be the outcome of inter-gang rivalry between two major Punjab gangs – headed by Lawrence Bishnoi and Lucky Patial (of the Lucky Patial-Bambiha gang) respectively.”The DGP also claimed that Moosewala’s manager, Shaganpreet, was one of the accused in Midhukhera’s murder. Shaganpreet has escaped to Australia and is wanted by the police.After Moosewala’s father wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, criticising his government for casting his son in wrong light, the state government issued a press statement the next day, quoting the DGP saying that he has never said that Moosewala was a gangster or was affiliated with gangsters.The DGP sought to highlight that it was Goldy Brar who had claimed responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. “The investigation would look into all aspects regarding the murder,” he added.A picture of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann standing next to a man is being shared with the claim that the man is gangster Goldy Brar, who has taken responsibility for the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala. This is false. Watch this video:pic.twitter.com/4SepbqJkDR— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) June 1, 2022In the meantime, Bishnoi’s rival Patial-Bambiha gang, denied any association with Moosewala and said it was wrong of the Bishnoi gang to have killed him.It also claimed that a Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh – who allegedly extorts money from singers in the Punjabi music industry – was involved in Moosewala’s death. Aulakh has denied this claim.The Punjab police have made their first arrest in this case and are likely to further interrogate Bishnoi who is currently in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, to get more clarity in this case.While Bishnoi is in Delhi police custody, the Delhi-based gang of Neeraj Bhawana claimed on Thursday, June 2, that Moosewala was their “brother” and threatened a retaliatory attack, saying “will give results in two days”.Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Mansa’s Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said they were keeping a watch on all aspects.How do these gangs operate?From betting to extortion, from arms smuggling to drugs, home-grown gangsters have been active in multiple areas. Over the time, they have expanded beyond Punjab and had set up networks in other northern states.For instance, Bishnoi faces cases of extortion and murder in as many four states including Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Even though key faces of these gangs are in jail, there is no freeze in their activities.This is also because the main handlers of these gangs are operating from foreign soil.For instance, Goldy Brar who claimed responsibility for Moosewala’s murder is currently settled in Canada while Lucky Patial of the Patial-Bambiha gang operates from Armenia.In Moosewala’s case, police suspected that eight to 10 assailants were hired to kill him through calls made from foreign shores. The cybercrime division of Punjab is working to link the dots of their whole operation, said Punjab police.Driving in two cars, a white Bolero and a dark Grey Scorpio, they intercepted Moosewala’s vehicle near Jawahar village before gunning him down. It was a planned attack, as Moosewala was intercepted on a day when he was not traveling in his bullet-proof vehicle.According to police, his security detail had four commandos but two of them had been temporarily withdrawn for need of extra forces in wake of the anniversary of the Blue Star operation on June 6. The withdrawal of security became a flashpoint against the Mann government.Major gangs of PunjabFrom notorious gangster Prabhjinder Singh ‘Dimpy’, to recent names like Vicky Gounder and now Bishnoi, the existence of gang culture in Punjab is over two decades old now.For most of these leaders, endings have been painful.Davinder Bambiha. Photo: Facebook.For instance, Dimpy was killed by a rival gang in 2006. Gounder was killed in 2018 in a police encounter. Davinder Bambiha of Lucky Patial-Bambiha, an arch rival of the Bishnoi gang, too was killed in an encounter in 2016. Since his death his close aides have been running his gang and have expanded its network by allying with gangsters of Haryana and Delhi.Jaipal Bhullar – one of Punjab’s most wanted drug smugglers and gangsters – was the last big name to be killed in an encounter in Kolkata in 2021.Most had humble backgrounds.Bambiha belonged to the Bambiha Bhai village in Moga district. He was a kabaddi player but somehow got entangled in a murder case. He made his gang after coming in contact with gangsters in jail. He died at 26.Bishnoi belongs to Abohar area of Fazilika district and was a student leader in Chandigarh before making it big in crime.While these gangs were active in the past too, the Mann government has come under huge pressure to act on the issue. Before Moosewala, a kabaddi player was killed two days before Bhagwant Mann took oath as Punjab chief minister on March 16.AAP Punjab spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang told The Wire that the Mann government has been very serious in handling the prevailing crisis. “The results will come soon,” he added