Chilling details have emerged following the killing of Haryanvi YouTuber and singer Ankit Baliyan in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli on August 26. Baliyan was outside a gym when four men riding two motorcycles opened fire at him. He was killed on the spot.
According to an earlier HT report, police confirmed that the incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday, with around 18 rounds fired at Baliyan. One of the bullets struck him in the head, killing him instantly.
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Gogi gang takes responsibility of murder
Deep Dive
What led to the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan?
Who claimed responsibility for Ankit Balyan's murder?
What security measures are being taken following Ankit Balyan's murder?
The investigation took a new turn on Thursday after a person allegedly from Sonipat and claiming links to the Gogi gang took responsibility for the murder in a social media post, officials said. Police have launched an investigation to determine whether the claim is genuine and have sent four teams to Haryana.
In the post, a person identifying himself as Bholu Shahpuri of Sonipat claimed that the Gogi gang was behind Baliyan's murder. However, police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the message.
{{/usCountry}}In the post, a person identifying himself as Bholu Shahpuri of Sonipat claimed that the Gogi gang was behind Baliyan's murder. However, police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the message.
{{/usCountry}}Additional director general (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said investigators are verifying the claim linking the notorious Gogi gang to the killing.
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“Immediately following the incident, a social media post surfaced claiming that the Gogi gang was responsible for the attack and identifying an individual named Bholu Shahpuriya as the perpetrator. The authenticity of the social-media post is currently being verified,” Yash said.
A mother's plea to the police
Meanwhile, Baliyan's mother on Thursday expressed her grief over the sudden loss of her son and demanded justice, saying he had never wronged anyone.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Baliyan's mother demanded justice, maintaining that her son had no malice toward anyone. "We want justice. He never did anyone any wrong," she said.
Baliyan's relatives also said they had no information about the attackers or the circumstances surrounding the murder. They said the family remained in the dark about who carried out the attack.
Speaking to ANI, a relative said, "The police have assured that action would be taken as soon as possible. We didn't really know the details ourselves. We weren't even at home. To this day, we still don't know who they were or how it happened; we are completely in the dark. We will accept whatever action the police take..."
(With inputs from Rohit Singh)