Delhi: To avert gang war, inmates being relocated in city jails

At least two prisoners -- Rahul Kala and Sunil Rathi – known to be trouble makers in the Mandoli prison, according to jail officers – have been transferred.

Prisons officers at Delhi’s three jail complexes- -Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli – have begun the process of transferring inmates within the jails, and are working to ensuring more surveillance on specific prisoners to prevent a gang war in the backdrop of last week’s court shootout in which top gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi was killed.

Since the murder of gangster Jitender Maan, alias Gogi, by two gunmen of the gang of his arch-rival Tiilu Tajpuriya inside the Rohini court on September 24, jail officers have been asked to maintain high alert within prisons. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

At least two prisoners -- Rahul Kala and Sunil Rathi – known to be trouble makers in the Mandoli prison, according to jail officers – have been transferred. The jail officers did not share the places where they were transferred within the jail, citing security reasons.

Since the afternoon of September 24, when Gogi was murdered by two gunmen of the gang of his arch-rival Tiilu Tajpuriya inside the Rohini court, jail officers have been asked to maintain a high alert within the prisons.

Until his arrest in March 2020, Gogi, a resident of Alipur in outer Delhi, was the most wanted gangster in Delhi. He had at least 19 cases of murder, robbery, extortion and Arms act.

The two transferred prisoners Rahul Kala and Sunil Rathi are both known for their allegiance to the Tillu gang.

Kala, known to be the “hot-headed” one in the gang, is also the brother of top gangster Naveen Bali(also in jail). Bali and Neeraj Bawana, another top gangster of Delhi, work together. Rathi, on the other hand, was a top Uttar Pradesh(UP) gangster. He had allegedly shot dead another UP gangster Munna Bajrangi inside the Baghpat jail on July 9, 2018. Bajrangi was shot at least 10 time in his head inside the jail.

Police suspect that all these people coordinated virtually, between Tihar, Mandoli and the Baghpat jail and arranged the contract killers to help Tillu finish his rivalry with Gogi.

Across the three jail complexes, there are at least 20-25 alleged members of Gogi gang, and about 15-20 of the Tillu gang. Delhi Police have said that Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya is their prime suspect. A Delhi police team on Thursday visited Mandoli jail, where Tillu was lodged and took him to the crime branch office in Rohini to interrogate him.

Over the last one week, prison officers conducted an audit and checked the affiliation of all gangsters, who are lodged behind bars.

“We coordinate with the police and also interview the prisoners to check for their affiliation. Though members of same gangs are not lodged together, we still conducted an audit and are now in the process of transferring them. Some will be transferred to high security, where they will be guarded round-the-clock and be under surveillance of the CCTV cameras,” a prison officer, who asked not to be named, said.

In the last ten years, over two dozen people have died in the gang war between the Gogi and Tillu gangs. The arrested members of the two gangs are involved in cases of extortion, robbery, car jackings, and contract killings, according to the police.