Game, gangs & murder: Kabaddi tourney that turned Sidhu Moose Wala into target
Moose Wala was killed in Jawahar Ke village in Mansa district, on May 29, 2022. He was traveling in a jeep with two friends when he was shot. The murder was allegedly planned by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate Goldy Brar.
The tournament, organised by youths affiliated with the Devinder Bambiha gang, is now being cited by both the police and gangster Goldy Brar as a key trigger in the deteriorating relationship between Moose Wala and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
According to Punjab Police officials investigating the Moose Wala murder case, Lawrence Bishnoi had warned the singer not to attend the kabaddi tournament, as it was organised by rival gang members — Lucky Patial and his close aide Mandeep Dhaliwal. Bishnoi, who was in jail at the time, reportedly called Moose Wala and cautioned him against participating in any events connected to his enemies.
'This has come out during Lawrence's interrogation. He admitted that he told Moose Wala to stay away from the Bhago Majra tournament. When Moose Wala ignored his warnings, Lawrence told him to be ready to face the consequences,' said a senior Punjab Police official involved in the investigation.
The tensions escalated quickly, with Moose Wala's continued associations with members of the rival gang perceived as open defiance by Bishnoi.
In a BBC documentary — The Killing Call — gangster Goldy Brar also acknowledged the Bhago Majra tournament as the starting point of the dispute.
'That village belongs to our rivals. Moose Wala promoted them by attending the tournament. Lawrence was very upset and told him we would harm him for this. These mistakes were made in arrogance and were unforgettable,' Goldy Brar told the BBC.
This was not Moose Wala's first appearance at events organised by the rival group. In 2019, he had also attended another kabaddi tournament organised by Mandeep Dhaliwal in Ferozepur Banger village near Mullanpur in Mohali.
The situation further deteriorated just days after the Bhago Majra incident. On March 17, 2020, Surjit Bouncer, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was gunned down at Sector 38 West light point in Chandigarh. Police suspect the Lucky Patial group orchestrated the killing, intensifying Lawrence's anger towards Moosewala.
Investigations also revealed that Mandeep Dhaliwal and Lucky Patial had formed two music labels – Thug Life and Gold Music – allegedly to coerce singers into releasing music under their banners. Notably, Moose Wala later released a song titled 'Thug Life', which some interpreted as either a nod to or mockery of the rival group's branding.
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