Ludhiana: Gangs spreading scare by falsely claiming murders, police warn

A similar incident was reported earlier in Ludhiana, when Instagram influencer Kartik Baggan was shot dead near Sunder Nagar on August 23

In a growing trend that has alarmed law enforcement, police officials say that several notorious gangs are falsely claiming responsibility for murders on social media to spread fear, stay in the limelight, and extort money from the public. Investigators revealed that a similar tactic was used in the recent the Manki village murder case.

Police officials have urged the public not to believe such social media claims and to report suspicious posts immediately. (HT Photo)

On November 3, Gurwinder Singh alias Kinda, a resident of Samrala’s Manki village, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants. Soon after the killing, a post surfaced on social media, allegedly uploaded by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claiming responsibility for the murder.

However, Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jyoti Yadav Bains said that after a detailed investigation, the police found no connection between the Bishnoi gang and the incident. “We could not ignore the post and initiated a probe immediately. But our investigation revealed that the social media claim was completely false,” she said.

Explaining the motive behind the killing, SSP Bains said the murder stemmed from a local rivalry, not gang activity. The enmity began with a clash at a blood donation camp in Samrala between Dharamveer alias Dharma—associated with the Babu Samrala Anti Group—and Karan from Madpur village. Seeking revenge, Karan and his associates allegedly opened fire on the night of November 3, targeting Dharamveer. Gurwinder Singh, who was at the spot but uninvolved in the feud, was fatally hit by the bullets.

Police have since solved the case with the arrest of 19 accused.

“The trend of gangs claiming crimes on social media is worrying,” SSP Bains added. “These posts are meant to distract police investigations, create panic, and build a false image of power so that gang members can later extort money by intimidation.”

A similar incident was reported earlier in Ludhiana, when Instagram influencer Kartik Baggan was shot dead near Sunder Nagar on August 23. Soon after, a social media post attributed to the Gopi Ghanshampur gang claimed responsibility for the killing. However, police commissioner Swapan Sharma clarified that the claim was fake. “Our probe revealed that the murder was linked to an old personal rivalry, not any gang feud,” he had stated.

Police officials have urged the public not to believe such social media claims and to report suspicious posts immediately. “These gangs are using digital platforms as tools of psychological warfare,” one senior officer remarked. “But our cyber teams are closely monitoring and taking action against such propaganda.”