Bathinda: Gangster Davinder Bambiha “sharp shooter” (25) will no more brag about his crimes on Facebook. He was shot dead in a pre-dawn police encounter at Gill Kalan near Rampura, 30 kilometres from here, on Friday.

He was from Bambiha Bhai village in Moga district and wanted for six murders, including that of Khwajke sarpanch Ravi Khwajke at a Ludhiana wedding on February 20. His accomplice Tara Dosandh was injured in the four-hour gunfight that started at 6.30am and in which at least 70 shots were exchanged.

Police are combing a wildlife sanctuary near Gill Kalan for another gangster that escaped.

Bambiha, educated up to Class 12, was on the hit list of Punjab Police and, on July 18, the special task force (STF) had announced a reward on him and mobster Jaipal.

“The Bathinda police had been tracking Bambiha for 45 days,” inspector general of police (Bathinda range) SK Asthana said. “On Thursday evening, they received an input about his checking into one of the houses in a ‘dhani’ (a small cluster of houses) at Gill Kalan. The gang had come to meet Tara’s mother.”

At about 4am, two crime investigation agency (CIA) teams led by Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swapan Sharma cordoned off the area. As the gang started its car to drive out, Bambiha spotted the cops. “He got off the vehicle and ran through a paddy field, while shooting at police. The cops fired in retaliation and hit him with three bullets in the chest,” Asthana said.

Bambiha was dead by the time they moved him to a Bathinda hospital. Tara was caught, later, from a tubewell room, 2 km from where Bambiha was killed. Tara had taken a bullet in the left leg. He was admitted to the Bathinda civil hospital. “The encounter went on for four hours as both Bambiha and Tara had a lot of ammunition,” the IG said.

Six people, including Tara’s mother, are under arrest on the charges of sheltering the gang.

Cases against Bambiha*: Murder 6, attempt to murder 2, scuffle 4, robbery 1, Arms Act violation 8 (* Registered across state and Sirsa district in Haryana)

Crime record

2010: First murder, at 18

2013: Double murder in Faridkot, escaped Faridkot jail on September 14

2014: Rearrested on June 11

2015: Ran away from police custody on January 20, was fugitive since

2016: Killed Khwajke village sarpanch Ravi Khwajke during a wedding in Ludhiana on February 20; kidnapped Dilbag Singh “Lamma Patti” of Jaggu Bhagwanpura gang on August 11 and killed him at Pandori Gohala village