Gurgaon: Gangster Kaushal Chaudhary, currently lodged in Bhondsi jail, has claimed responsibility for the murder of rival gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s mother in Punjab’s Batala. The attack, which occurred on Thursday night, also claimed the life of a key aide of Bhagwanpuria who handled operations for his gang.Harjit Kaur, Bhagwanpuria’s mother, and Karanvir, son of an assistant sub-inspector, were returning from a court hearing in Tarn Taran when unidentified assailants on motorcycles pumped bullets into them near their house. While Karanvir died on the spot, Kaur succumbed to multiple bullet injuries in hospital.Shortly after the attack, a post surfaced on social media, where Haryana-based gangsters Prabhu Dasuwal and Kaushal — associated with the Bambiha gang — claimed responsibility for the killings. The post targeted Karanvir specifically, alleging he managed operations for Bhagwanpuria, such as handling fugitives, weapons, and funds.“We — Doni Bal Billa Manga, Prabhu Dasuwal, and Kaushal Chaudhary — take responsibility for Karan’s murder in Batala. He used to handle all of Jaggu’s operations… Today, by killing him, we have avenged the death of our brother Gore Baryar…. From now on, if any of our brothers are wrongfully killed, be ready to pay the price. Anyone else who speaks against us should also be ready for the worst,” the post read.Police said they were yet to ascertain the veracity of the message.Kaushal (40) is no stranger to crime. With 46 criminal cases against him across Haryana and Punjab, including nine murders in Gurgaon alone, he was extradited from Dubai in 2019. Despite his incarceration, he continues to operate his criminal network from behind the bars, according to police sources. In 2018, an FIR was registered at Delhi’s Rohini police station against Kaushal under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.Thursday’s attack, police said, appears to be a retaliation for the recent murder of Gurpreet alias Gora Bariari, an A-category gangster from the Gopi Ghanshampuria gang who was killed outside a petrol pump in Gurdaspur on May 26. The Bhagwanpuria gang was suspected to be behind that attack.The latest attack has once again brought to the fore the complex web of gang rivalries in the region. The rivalry between the Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs, as well as Kaushal’s faction, has escalated over time. Once considered close allies, Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria became adversaries following a clash at Tarn Taran jail in Feb 2023. Bhagwanpuria was subsequently moved to a prison in Assam, while Bishnoi was shifted to a Gujarat jail.In 2022, the Bishnoi and Kaushal gangs fought over control of the lucrative liquor trade in Gurgaon, leading to shootings intended at avenging earlier killings of each other’s associates.Additionally, Kaushal was named in the murder of Youth Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukhera in Mohali in Aug 2021. The Bishnoi gang later avenged Middukhera’s killing by shooting Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala dead. Kaushal was also accused of masterminding the 2022 murder of international kabaddi player Sandeep Singh Nangal Ambian.Police said investigations were underway to trace the network that sustained these gangs, focusing on how members coordinated from behind the bars. “We have intensified efforts to address issues such as firearms inside jails and retaliatory strikes,” an official said.
