Punjab has seen many criminal names rise and fall, but few left behind a network as active today as Davinder Bambiha did. Born Davinder Singh Sidhu, he spent only a few years as a free criminal before a police encounter ended his life in 2016 at age 26. Yet the gang carrying his name is still front-page news in 2026.
This article covers everything about him: his family, his education, how he turned from a student into a sharpshooter, how he died, and what happened to his gang after his death.
Who Was Davinder Bambiha?
Davinder Bambiha was a Punjab-based gangster and sharpshooter, real name Davinder Singh Sidhu, who founded the criminal outfit now known as the Bambiha Gang. He was killed in a police encounter in September 2016, but his gang has since grown into one of the largest criminal networks in North India.
Before crime took over his life, he was known for very different things. He was a bright student and a talented Kabaddi player in his village. A 2010 murder case changed all of that, sending him to jail and eventually turning him into one of Punjab’s most-wanted men.
Today, two things mainly define his name: his own violent rise and fall, and the long-running rivalry between his gang and the Lawrence Bishnoi network. This rivalry has shaped organized crime across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and beyond.
Quick Facts: Davinder Bambiha at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Real name | Davinder Singh Sidhu |
| Other names | Davinder Bambiha, Davinder Singh “Shooter” |
| Profession | Gangster, sharpshooter |
| Date of birth | 21 August 1990 |
| Birthplace | Bambiha Bhai village, Moga district, Punjab |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Date of death | 9 September 2016 |
| Place of death | Near Rampura Phul, Bathinda district, Punjab |
| Age at death | 26 |
| Cause of death | Police encounter |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Religion | Sikh |
| Caste | Jatt |
Early Life and Family Background
Davinder Bambiha grew up in an ordinary farming household in Bambiha Bhai, a small village in Moga district, Punjab. He took his gang name directly from this village.
His family had no history of crime before his 2010 arrest. They were simple landholders, and nothing about his early years suggested what would follow.
| Family Member | Relation | Details |
| Iqbal Singh Sidhu | Father | Passed away from a cardiac arrest |
| Paramjeet Kaur | Mother | Distanced herself from him once his crimes became public |
| Rupinder Kaur | Sister | One of two sisters |
| Pushpinder Kaur | Sister | One of two sisters |
He remained unmarried throughout his short life. His father’s early death and his mother’s decision to cut ties with him left him largely isolated from his family by the time he became a wanted gangster.
Physical Description
| Attribute | Detail |
| Height | 5’9″ (175 cm) |
| Eye color | Black |
| Hair color | Black |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Moga, Punjab |
Education and Early Talent
Davinder Bambiha was a bright student during his school years, according to people who knew him. He was also a popular and skilled Kabaddi player, a sport with deep roots in rural Punjab.
He went on to pursue an arts degree at college. Relatives later described him as someone with genuine athletic and academic promise, which makes his later path into crime even more striking.
| Stage | Detail |
| School life | Known as a sharp student and talented Kabaddi player |
| College | Enrolled in an arts degree program |
| Sport | Competitive Kabaddi, played at a regional level |
| Career before crime | None; he was still a student when his life changed direction |
How Did Davinder Bambiha End Up in Crime?
In 2010, while still studying, Davinder Bambiha accompanied a friend to settle a personal dispute involving the friend’s girlfriend. The situation turned violent, his friend opened fire, and a rival was killed.
He was arrested and jailed in connection with the case soon after. He never returned to his native village as a free man again.
Prison became the real turning point. Inside, he met hardened criminals and sharpshooters, and that network gave him the contacts and mindset he needed to build his own gang once he was out.
Timeline of Key Events
| Year | Event |
| 1990 | Born in Bambiha Bhai village, Moga district |
| 2010 | Arrested in a murder case linked to a village dispute |
| 2011 | Escapes police custody, becomes a wanted name in Punjab |
| 2012 | Becomes one of Punjab’s most-wanted criminals |
| 2013 | Wanted in a double murder case spanning Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab |
| 2013 | Named in a case involving the killing of his own uncle and nephew |
| 2016 (Feb) | Kills student-leader-turned-sarpanch Ravi Khwajke at a wedding function |
| 2016 (Sep) | Killed in a police encounter near Rampura Phul, Bathinda |
Rise as a Gangster and Sharpshooter
After escaping custody in his early twenties, Davinder Bambiha formed his own outfit, later known as the Sultan Davinder Bambiha Group. The gang operated heavily across Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.
He earned a reputation as a cold-blooded sharpshooter. What set him apart from older-generation criminals was his early and aggressive use of social media. He posted videos of robberies, threats, and shows of force on Facebook, turning crime into a kind of public performance.
This online visibility served two purposes. It intimidated rivals and police, and it attracted young recruits who saw the gang as a path to money and status.
| Crime Category | Examples |
| Extortion | Money extracted from businesses in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula |
| Murder | Killing of Ravi Khwajke in 2016; multiple other contract killings |
| Robbery | Highway robberies and looting, often filmed and posted online |
| Attempted murder | Multiple cases registered across Punjab |
| Family-linked violence | Case registered for the killing of his own uncle and nephew in 2013 |
His most publicized act of violence came on 20 February 2016, when he shot and killed Ravi Khwajke in front of witnesses at a wedding function. This single act made him a top priority for Punjab Police and accelerated the manhunt that ended his life seven months later.
How Did Davinder Bambiha Die?
Davinder Bambiha died on 9 September 2016 near Rampura Phul in Bathinda district. A special police team acted on a tip about his location and intercepted him near Gill Kalan village.
A shootout followed, and he was killed at the scene. He was 26 years old, and had spent roughly five years as one of Punjab’s most-wanted men by that point.
His death closed one chapter, but it did not end the story. The gang he founded did not dissolve. It grew.
What Happened to the Bambiha Gang After His Death?
| Phase | What Happened |
| Immediate aftermath (2016) | Close associates Dilpreet and Sukhpreet kept gang operations running |
| Expansion (2017-2021) | Network grows across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh |
| Leadership shift | Gaurav Patial, alias Lucky Patial, emerges as the new face of the gang |
| Current base | Lucky Patial directs operations remotely from Armenia |
| Estimated size | Several hundred members spread across multiple states |
The gang’s core income still comes from extortion, targeting business owners, hotel operators and club managers across Punjab and neighboring states. Investigators have repeatedly tied coordination of these operations to handlers based outside India, in countries including Armenia, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
Who Leads the Bambiha Gang Today?
Gaurav Patial, widely known as Lucky Patial, currently leads the gang. He is from the Chandigarh area and now directs operations from Armenia using encrypted communication.
Authorities have named him in multiple chargesheets, including the 2021 killing of Youth Akali Dal leader Vikramjit Singh, alias Vicky Middukhera, in Mohali. The gang publicly claimed responsibility for the murder. Law enforcement agencies have also placed a reward on his head and continued arresting his associates through 2025 in cities such as Moga and Mumbai.
| Detail | Information |
| Real name | Gaurav Patial |
| Alias | Lucky Patial |
| Origin | Chandigarh area |
| Current base | Armenia |
| Role | Current head of the Bambiha Gang |
| Notable case | 2021 killing of Vicky Middukhera in Mohali |
Why Are the Bambiha Gang and Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Rivals?
The rivalry traces back to around 2010, when Lawrence Bishnoi entered student politics at DAV College, Chandigarh, around the same time Davinder Bambiha was building his own reputation in Moga. What started as local and college-level friction grew into a fight for control over extortion, contracts and territory across North India.
| Aspect | Bambiha Network | Bishnoi Network |
| Origin | Village and college rivalries in Punjab’s Malwa region | Panjab University student politics |
| Current leadership | Gaurav Patial, operating from Armenia | Lawrence Bishnoi, currently in custody |
| Key allies | Kaushal Chaudhary gang, Arsh Dalla network, parts of the Neeraj Bawana group | Goldy Brar, Kala Jathedi gang, Rohit Godara |
| Core activity | Extortion, contract killings, arms smuggling | Extortion, high-profile targeted killings |
| Public presence | Active on social media, claims attacks openly | Active on social media, claims attacks openly |
Both gangs now use social media to claim attacks and threaten rivals, often before any official confirmation, which has made this rivalry unusually public for organized crime in the region.
Connection to the Sidhu Moose Wala Case
Shooters linked to the Bishnoi-Brar network killed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022. Although the Bambiha Gang did not participate in the killing, it publicly condemned the murder and used the incident to voice its opposition to the Bishnoi-Brar network.
Lucky Patial issued statements distancing the gang from the act and criticizing Bishnoi and Brar. He later cited Moose Wala’s death as partial justification for a retaliatory killing of a Bishnoi associate, framing the singer as an artist who was wrongly targeted.
This episode shows how personal the rivalry has become. Statements, threats and even condolences from both sides now play out openly online rather than staying confined to police files.
International Network and Weapons
| Element | Detail |
| Armenia | Base of operations for current leader Lucky Patial |
| Canada | Base for allied figure Arshdeep Singh, alias Arsh Dalla, who has formed a working alliance against the Bishnoi camp |
| Other hubs | Coordination links traced to Kazakhstan and Malaysia |
| Weapons recovered | Foreign-made pistols, including Turkish-manufactured Zigana pistols, seized from gang operatives during arms raids |
| Funding | Extortion calls and cross-border smuggling networks |
This international structure makes the gang far harder to dismantle through local arrests alone, since key decision-makers stay outside Indian jurisdiction.
How Does the Bambiha Gang Recruit New Members?
The gang recruits mainly through social media, a tactic Davinder Bambiha himself pioneered. He built his early reputation by posting crime videos, and that approach still shapes how the network attracts new members today.
Recruiters often target young men in Punjab and Haryana who are athletic, unemployed, or simply drawn to the image of money and protection. Bambiha’s own background as a Kabaddi player still gets used to make this image feel relatable to village youth.
Conclusion
Davinder Bambiha’s life moved fast and ended young. He went from a bright student and a talented Kabaddi player to one of Punjab’s most feared sharpshooters, and his family paid a heavy personal price along the way.
His death at 26 did nothing to stop the network carrying his name. The Bambiha Gang now spans several states and countries, locked in an open rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate that shows no sign of slowing down. Understanding his early life and family background helps explain how a single village dispute in 2010 reshaped organized crime in North India for the next decade and beyond.
Also Read About: Sabyasachi Chowdhury
Frequently Asked Questions
He was a Punjab gangster, real name Davinder Singh Sidhu, who founded the Bambiha Gang and was killed in a 2016 police encounter.
His real name was Davinder Singh Sidhu. He took the name “Bambiha” from his native village.
His father was Iqbal Singh Sidhu, who died of a cardiac arrest, and his mother was Paramjeet Kaur, who distanced herself from him after his crimes became public.
Yes, he had two sisters, Rupinder Kaur and Pushpinder Kaur.
No, he remained unmarried throughout his life.
He was pursuing an arts degree in college when he was arrested in 2010.
He died on 9 September 2016 in a police encounter near Rampura Phul, Bathinda district.
Gaurav Patial, known as Lucky Patial, currently leads the gang from Armenia.
Yes, Arrests and weapon seizures linked to the network continue across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.
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