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‘Gogi’s assailants planned to escape through judge’s door’: Police
On Saturday, police detained one suspect, who had allegedly dropped the two attackers outside the Rohini court in a car before the shootout
New Delhi: The two men who shot dead gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi in a courtroom in Rohini court complex on Friday may have planned to escape through the judge’s entry-exit door as they had moved towards that direction immediately after pumping bullets into Gogi’s body, but were gunned down by the police personnel who feared that the suspects may harm the judge, said police officials privy to the investigation, quoting the statements of the personnel who were involved in the counter fire.
On Saturday, police detained one suspect, who had allegedly dropped the two attackers outside the court in an i10 car around 10am on Friday, nearly three hours before the shooting, and hope his questioning will lead to the people who ordered the hit. The prison department has also sounded an alert in the three jails in Delhi -- Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli -- where several members of Gogi and his rival gangs are lodged.
To be sure, the police have not officially shared any information about the suspects’ escape plan as, they say, they are yet to verify it from the prime conspirators who, as per the initial investigation, are Gogi’s arch rival Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya, and his associates such as Sunil Rathi, Naveen Bali, Neeraj Bawana,Vicky and Kaushal.
Except Vicky, who hails from Haryana’s Sonepat, the other suspected conspirators are lodged in different jails in Delhi and the neighbouring states. The crime branch team that is investigating the case will soon take their custody to question them on the conspiracy, the officials said.
According to police, the suspect detained on Saturday was also dressed as a lawyer and drove his car, without the two assailants, to the court premises around 10.30 am using gate number 4. Investigators are scanning the CCTV footage from near the court gates to determine from which gate the attackers entered the premises and to ascertain if they were searched and frisked by the security personnel presents there, said a senior police officer, who did not want to be named.
“The special cell team is questioning the suspect to ascertain the identities of the key conspirators,” the officer said.
Around 1pm on Friday, Gogi was escorted to court number 207 on the second floor of Rohini court complex by 10 police personnel of the Third Battalion, while 15-20 personnel from the special cell and the Rohini district police were present there in plain clothes.
Eyewitnesses as well as police officers said that the judge Gagandeep Singh was seated when the two assailants dressed as lawyers pulled out their guns and began firing at Gogi in front of the judge. The policemen present there responded and killed the suspects in the counter fire.
“One of the policemen involved in the counter fire told the senior police officers that the judge rushed to his chamber using the door dedicated for his entry and exit from the courtroom. As the suspects also ran in the same direction, the policeman opened fire thinking that they may use the same door to escape or try to hurt the judge. The other policemen also responded and killed the duo before they could climb the judge’s desk. Since the attackers died, their exact escape plan would be known only when we interrogate the conspirators,” said a second senior police officer, who did not want to be identified.
“Had the assailants managed to cross the desk, they would have easily escaped from the court campus as the staircase was just outside that judge’s entry-exit door,” added the officer.
Police said they are looking at Tajpuriya as the prime conspirator as he was involved in a bitter feud with Gogi for nearly a decade.
The dead assailants were identified as Rahul Tyagi, who hails from a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, and Jagdeep alias Jagga, from Sonepat in Haryana.
Initial investigation and information collected by the police through their criminal intelligence network has hinted that the two were hired for the hit allegedly by Tajpuriya’s close aide, jailed gangster Naveen Dabas, better known as Naveen Bali.
The name of another associate of Tajpuriya, Sunil Rathi from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, is also being probed in the conspiracy. Rathi is a key accused in the murder case of UP’s dreaded gangster Prem Prakash Singh, better known as Munna Bajrangi, who was shot dead inside Baghpat jail on July 9,2018.
Investigators said that information collected so far in the case has revealed that Tyagi and Jagga were kept in a flat located nearly three kilometres away from the Rohini court. It has also been learnt that the suspects had conducted a detailed reconnaissance of the courtroom and its premises a day before the hit.
“These are all preliminary information and we are verifying it,” said the officer quoted first.
Security arrangements at the Rohini court complex was increased on Saturday in the wake of Friday’s shootout that is considered a major security lapse and because of the fact that Tajpuriya’s physical visit to the court in an old case was also scheduled.
Tajpuria was brought to the court from Mandoli jail around 10 am on Saturday amid tight security arrangement and was produced for a hearing at the court but the proceedings could not completed due to a strike announced by the lawyers.The next date of hearing was fixed on September 30 and Tajpuria was taken back to jail around noon.
Meanwhile, director general (Tihar prison) Sandeep Goel said that an alert has been sounded inside the prison, following which jail officers are now in touch with the police and are rechecking the records of all members of the Gogi and Tajpuria gangs lodged inside the prison complexes at Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli. At least 15-20 alleged members from each gang are lodged inside the three jails. Separately, jail officers are also keeping checks on Tajpuria security.
“It is likely that there will be a reshuffle of all these gangsters. It is possible that Tajpuria will also be transferred to a more secure area inside the prison. We are also in touch with police about the security of prisoners during their court production,” a jail officer, who asked not to be named, said.
