New Delhi: Days after Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Baliyan was shot dead outside a gym in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, two of the suspected sharpshooters involved in the attack were killed in an encounter early Monday morning, leaving two constables injured, the police said.
Ankit was shot dead 26 August, when he was leaving his gym at around 7 pm in Verma Market, barely 200 metres from the local police station. Police said four men on two motorbikes fired over 18 rounds at him.
Within hours, an Instagram account claiming to represent the Gogi gang took responsibility, alleging Baliyan had made a song about the 2021 courtroom murder of gang leader Jitender Mann alias Gogi. The song was released around three years ago.
The police launched a manhunt with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) after the attack.
A police blockade to identify miscreants
Shamli Superintendent of Police (SP) N.P. Singh said in a statement on Monday that an attempt was made to stop two suspicious individuals, upon which both suspects opened fire on the police team.
Following the murder, a SWAT team, a surveillance unit, and all station house officers (SHO), the assistant superintendent of police (ASP), and the City and Kairana circle officers (CO) were assigned to the case. Police also ordered a blockade from midnight to 6 a.m. to ensure no vehicle could enter the district without being checked.
Around 4 a.m. on Monday, an SHO conducting checks near his station spotted a motorcycle approaching from the direction of Karnal and tried to stop it. Two men riding the bike immediately opened fire at him, police said.
He had a narrow escape, although a bullet hit his vehicle. “He immediately sent a message over the wireless. The suspects’ vehicle sped away and turned towards Kairana. When they reached beneath the Manna Madra bridge, SHO Dharmendra Gautam of the Kotwali station was conducting checks,” said a senior police officer.
He tried to stop them, but they fired at him, shattering the vehicle’s windshield. He immediately challenged them, police said.
“The suspects turned left towards the city; however, since an alert had already been broadcast over the wireless, our SWAT team, surveillance in-charge, SHOs, CO City, ASP, and CO Kairana all arrived at the scene. Subsequently, the suspects suddenly swerved their vehicle to the right,” the officer said.
As the police approached from the other side, they turned right and were trapped in a dead-end alley. Cornered by the police, they took a defensive stance and opened fire with the intent to kill, the officer said.
“In retaliatory action taken by the police team in self-defense, both accused sustained bullet injuries and were immediately sent to the hospital for treatment, where, after examination by the team of doctors, both were declared dead,” the officer said.
He said the deceased accused had been identified as Mohit, 22, and Sumit, 24, both residents of Sonipat, Haryana. The SP said that both accused were involved in Ankit Baliyan’s murder case and a reward of Rs 50,000 had been declared for information about them.
Police said Mohit had around 13-14 criminal cases against him, while Sumit, a WiFi repairman, had two to three criminal cases.
Police recovered two .30 pistols, one .32-bore pistol, 26 live cartridges, and 15 spent shell casings from them. Also, recovered was a Samsung mobile phone, which they had brought to the scene on the day of the murder, a motorcycle, and Rs 5,000 in cash.
Attack orchestrated from prison
The officer said that “the accused who have been encountered during checking revealed that Bholu Shahpuriya is a member of Gogi gang, from Sonipat, had orchestrated the crime. He had provided the weapons and money, in return for this attack.”
The officer also said that Gogi gang operatives are currently in jail, and that “they orchestrate such crimes from within the prison”.
“The individuals who orchestrated this incident include Rakesh Pappu (a resident of Panipat currently in Karnal Jail) and Rohit Mui (who is currently incarcerated in Tihar Jail). Chirag, who handles their digital operations, is based in Canada and is Bholu’s cousin; we are tracking him as well,” the officer told ThePrint.
A few other suspects named in the case remain at large, and the SWAT team is actively working on the case, the officer said.
The discord
The officer, while explaining the background details, said that there was a long-standing rivalry between the Gogi gang and the Tillu gang run by Tillu Tajpuria. Back in 2021, Tillu had allegedly orchestrated Gogi’s murder inside the Rohini court, sending two shooters dressed as lawyers.
“Three years ago, a song was released with the lyrics, ‘Bhare court mein goli maarenge’,” and Ankit had acted in that song. The Gogi gang, including his family, supporters, and remaining member, specifically Bholu Shahpuriya, Rakesh Pappu and Rohit Mui, considered this disrespectful,” said the officer.
The officer also said that Ankit had lived in Rohtak, Sonepat and Delhi over the last few years as he was working from different cities. He was planning to contest the zila panchayat elections, and had begun groundwork for his political entry.
“Around eight months ago, Ankit had returned to Shamli. He did not share much about himself, but there were stories about his gym routine. The accused had followed this very closely – which gym he went to, the time he went, and when he was exiting the gym, who he went with, and which vehicle was used,” the officer said.
The officer said the two men killed on Monday had visited the Surya Hotel on 20 August. They stayed for two days and were captured on the hotel’s CCTV cameras.
“They had provided their ID cards and PAN details at the hotel and even settled the bill. They stayed for two days and had brought a GPS device to install in the vehicle, though they were ultimately unable to use it,” the officer said.
“They conducted the recce and found details about the gym and the car he travelled in. On 26 August, Bholu Shahpuriya provided the weapons to the group.”
He said two of the men arrived from Karnal and two others from Sonipat. “They gathered here and carried out the shooting that resulted in the victim’s death. He was struck by nine bullets, a mix of .30 and .32 calibre rounds, which were recovered from the scene. Police are conducting a forensic match to verify the weapon’s user.”
Ankit Baliyan’s family members told ThePrint that while they acknowledge the Monday encounter, they wanted complete justice.
“Two shooters are at large. They need to be arrested and killed in an encounter soon. We have told the police what we need. Our family deserves complete justice,” said a family member.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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