‘Gangster got live updates in jail as courtroom gunfight erupted’

Gogi was shot dead inside courtroom 207 at Rohini court complex in Delhi on Friday by two assailants

Sitting inside Mandoli jail in Delhi, alleged gangster Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya was allegedly getting live updates on a mobile phone from the four men at the Rohini district court complex who were about to execute the plan to kill his arch rival Jitender Maan, alias Gogi, the investigation into Friday’s sensational and shocking courtroom shooting has revealed, police officers privy to the probe told HT.

Notorious gangster Jeetender Gogi was gunned down in a Rohini court in Delhi last week. (PTI)

Tajpuriya has emerged as the prime conspirator in the sensational murder, which, the police officers cited above said on condition of anonymity, capped a decade-long violent rivalry between two of Delhi’s most powerful criminal gangs. They said at about 15 people, including Gogi, have so far been killed by the gangs in several shootings across the city over the years.

Gogi was shot dead inside courtroom 207 at Rohini court complex on Friday by two assailants. Security personnel gunned the two shooters down as they were trying to escape through a door used by judges.

Police officers aware of the investigation on Monday said that Tajpuriya had in his possession a mobile phone for over a week on wich he would get information about the progress in the plan to eliminate Gogi.

Delhi Prisons (Tihar) administration has initiated an inquiry to look into the allegations that Tajpuriya was using a phone in Mandoli jail, officials said, The inquiry is also aimed at ascertaining if there was any security lapse or connivance of any jail staffers who helped Tajpuriya get access to the phone.

When asked about the allegations, Delhi Prisons director general (DG), Sandeep Goel said, “We are looking into it. It will not be proper to give any details on this, since it may have a bearing on the investigation.”

A photograph showing Tajpuriya and one of the Gogi’s killers (Jagdeep alias Jagga), which appears to be a screenshot taken during a video call, also surfaced on social media on Monday. Police are trying to ascertain whether the photograph is genuine, or if it was altered digitally. They are also trying to find out the photo’s source. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the photograph.

HT reported on Friday that Gogi and Sunil Maan (before he came to be known as Tillu Tajpuriya) were childhood friends who got sucked into the college politics at Delhi University’s Swami Shradhanand College in Alipur. During the 2007 university elections, the two friends ended up supporting two different candidates for the post of the vice president for the college, which is considered the beginning of their decade-long rivalry.

were was once a teenager who excelled in sport (volleyball and athletics), represented his schools at several competitions, and got admitted to Delhi University (DU) on the sports quota. There, he and his closest childhood friend, Sunil Maan, got sucked into student politics. Maan is now better known as gangster Tillu Tajpuria in police records.

The two went on to become deadly rivals, and for more than a decade, their names can be found together in police files and case papers that detail how they have fought a bloody turf war that spilled blood on the streets of Haryana and the national Capital.

Besides the two killers – Rahul Tyagi and Jagga – who were shot dead in the courtroom, two others – Umang Yadav and Vinay Yadav – who accompanied them to the court in a Hyundai i-10 car, were arrested on Sunday by a special cell team.

Dressed as lawyers, Tyagi and Jagga walked inside the court complex from gate number 4, and Umang, who was also wearing a black jacket, drove to the court campus. Vinay could not go inside as he was wearing jeans, a police officer associated with the case said.

“Since the four men left the Haiderpur flat where they had been staying since September 20, Tajpuriya was constantly on a video call with them. He was taking updates on where they had reached, how far they were from Rohini court, and who was present where in the court premises. Before disconnecting, Tajpuriya asked Umang and Vinay to leave the premises,” the officer said.

Senior police officers said that they will soon get Tajpuriya’s custody from Mandoli jail to interrogate him and ascertain his role in Gogi’s murder conspiracy. During questioning, Umang and Vinay told the police about Tajpuriya’s alleged role in the murder. They also indicated that jailed gangsters Naveen Dabas, better known as Naveen Bali, and Sunil Rathi, who is from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat played a role in the conspiracy. Both are close associates of Tajpuriya, and their names have emerged in several revenge killings executed in the past few years by his gang members.

A second investigator said they were also probing if one of the shooters, Rahul Tyagi alias Nitin, was associated with Rathi’s gang. He said that Tyagi was from Meerut, and was involved in a murder case in Sonepat, apart from a few cases in Delhi. “He carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his arrest. If required, we will also seek custody of Bali and Rathi,” the second officer said.