The Uttar Pradesh Police has deployed its Special Task Force (STF) to assist in the investigation into the murder of 32-year-old Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Baliyan, who was gunned down in Shamli on August 26 evening, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
Ankit Baliyan was shot dead around 7 pm outside a gym by four men who arrived on two motorcycles and fired nearly 18 rounds. Yash said one bullet struck Baliyan in the head. He died on the spot.
Social media claim
Deep Dive
What were the circumstances surrounding Ankit Balyan's murder?
What is the link between Ankit Balyan and the Gogi gang?
What potential motives are investigators examining for Ankit Balyan's murder?
Additional director general (ADG) (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said investigators are also verifying a claim linking the notorious Gogi gang to the murder.
“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.
The senior police officer said gangs often carried out such acts, or claimed responsibility for them, to expand their sphere of influence.
Multiple leads being probed
{{/usCountry}}Multiple leads being probed
{{/usCountry}}Yash underlined that investigators were approaching the case from multiple angles.
“The family has not yet levelled specific allegations against anyone, nor have they named any suspects,” he said, stressing that the police were looking into several possible motives, including personal or professional enmity, an old dispute, contract killing and gang rivalry.
Yash said investigators were trying to identify the shooters and the gang involved.
Four teams have been sent to Haryana to identify the shooters and establish their movements before and after the crime.
“The STF is assisting the district police in analysing technical and intelligence inputs…. We hope to solve the case soon,” Yash added.
Police teams are analysing CCTV footage, mobile phone data and location records besides examining Baliyan’s contacts, previous disputes and possible threats. Teams are also scrutinising Baliyan’s social media activity, including a video that he uploaded an hour before the shooting in which he was singing a song containing references to murder.
A dispute that Ankit Baliyan had with another singer in Rohtak around six months ago is among the leads being examined.
Another lead is a first information report (FIR) registered against Baliyan and around 40 supporters in July 2023 after an unauthorised roadshow in Shamli.
Baliyan’s postmortem was conducted late Wednesday night under videography and his body was handed over to his family on Thursday morning.
Around 30 policemen have been deployed outside his residence in Bantikhhera village.
Who was Ankit Baliyan
A native of Bantikhhera village in Shamli, Baliyan had earlier lived in Sonipat but had been staying with his family in the village for several months. His father, Satbir, is a retired soldier, and his mother, Amaresh, is a homemaker. He was the elder of two brothers, married and had no children.
He gained popularity through Haryanvi music and YouTube, particularly after the release of ‘Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan’ in February 2023. The song was subsequently banned.
The Gogi gang
The Gogi gang is associated with gangster Jitendra Mann alias Gogi, a resident of Delhi’s Alipur area, and has been linked to criminal activities in Delhi-NCR and parts of Haryana.
The gang had a longstanding rivalry with the Tillu gang, dating back to around 2010 and linked to several violent incidents. Gogi was killed inside Delhi’s Rohini court complex in September 2021 during a court appearance. Two shooters dressed as lawyers, who had opened fire on him, were also killed in retaliatory police firing.