A woman sarpanch candidate from Toosa village of Ludhiana district has reportedly received a threatening call from a person claiming to be a member of the Davinder Bambiha gang. The caller reportedly warned her to withdraw her nomination or face “serious” consequences.

Sukhdeep Kaur, 41, an independent candidate contesting for the post of sarpanch in Toosa village in Sudhar block, has lodged a complaint with the Ludhiana rural police, claiming that the caller made a WhatsApp call from a number having UK country code (+44). According to her, the caller identified himself as a member of the Bambiha gang and directed her to opt out of the sarpanch election. He allegedly warned her of dire consequences in case she fails to follow his directions.

According to Kaur, she remains undeterred depite the threat call and plans to move forward with her campaign. “I have previously served as a member of panchayat. This time, I am determined to run for the sarpanch post. I believe this is an attempt by someone from our own village to scare me into withdrawing. But I am not backing down,” she said. Kaur added that the police have assured her that they would act swiftly if anyone tries to instigate violence during the elections. Her husband Hardeep Singh is a farmer.

Following her complaint, the police registered an FIR under Sections 319 (2) (cheating by pretending to be someone else) and 351 (3) (criminal intimidation by threatening to cause death) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Sudhar police station.

Deputy superintendent of police (Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa said the police were investigating whether the call originated from a legitimate UK number or a virtual number through WhatsApp. “Once we trace the location of the caller, we will take appropriate action,” the DSP added.

The gang is named after notorious gangster Davinder Bambiha who was killed in a police encounter in 2016. Several members of the gang are believed to be hiding abroad and remain active.