In an incident that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead in a courtroom on Friday by two assailants from the rival 'Tilu' gang, dressed in lawyers' garb.
The assailants opened fire at Gogi inside the courtroom in Rohini in the national capital where a case was being heard against him.
Gogi was on Delhi Police's most-wanted list. He was also accused in dozens of cases - including murder, kidnapping and fraud - in other states.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana while exclusively speaking to IANS on Friday averred that the police force is determined to act against any organised criminal activity in the national capital.
"The police are completely determined and if any organised crime activity happens in Delhi, then an effective legal action will be taken against the criminals," the Commissioner said.
He apprised IANS that the case has now been transferred to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police. "The crime branch and the special cell of Delhi Police will now investigate whatever incident happened today as such an incident is not possible without proper planning."
His gang was also involved in crimes such as possession of illegal arms, carjacking and land grabbing.
Happened so fast: Lawyer
The two assailants were subsequently shot dead by the police as the incident led to chaos and panic in the courtroom where the judge had commenced proceedings. A woman lawyer was reportedly injured in the firing.
The incident occurred at the Rohini court complex when Gogi was being presented for hearing in a case against him. The assailants suddenly took out their weapons from under their lawyer's robes and opened fire at Gogi, who collapsed.
A lawyer, who was inside the courtroom at the time of the incident, told IANS that everything happened so fast that they were not even able to take a breath.
"The firing began just seconds before the hearing in the case of gangster Gogi. Even Judge Gagandeep Singh was sitting inside the courtroom," he said, adding that there was utter chaos in the courtroom.
The police personnel guarding Gogi immediately retaliated and gunned down the attackers. "There was an exchange of at least 30-35 rounds of fire between the cops and the attackers," an eyewitness said.
Sources said that the attackers were from the Tilu Tajpuria gang and the Delhi Police's Special Cell had input about the possibility of such kind of an incident.
Gogi, who was arrested by the Special Cell in April, was involved in the killing of a Haryana-based singer, who was gunned down by assailants in Panipat in 2017. Gogi carried a cash reward of Rs 4 lakh in Delhi and Rs 2.5 lakh in Haryana.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said that the police team took swift action and launched counter-firing. "Both assailants died along with Gogi," the spokesperson said.
Woman lawyer injured
A woman lawyer was injured in the ricochet. "The bullet first touched the floor and then hit the woman lawyer on her feet," said a source, adding that she was shifted to a nearby hospital.
The bodies of Gogi and his assailants were taken out of the court in two ambulances. Security was stepped up in the court premises with heavy deployment of CISF personnel soon after the incident.
Asthana has assured that there will be a full investigation into the incident and appropriate legal action will be taken.
He said Jitender 'Gogi's' gang used to run extortion rackets and was arrested a few days ago. As such gangsters have tried fleeing from the police custody, the commissioner said, the police team had taken a very strong squad to prevent such an event.
He said that both the assailants were quickly neutralized by an "effective counter move" of the police personnel present there.
When Delhi Police arrested Gogi under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, he was carrying a bounty of Rs seven lakh on his head. Gogi's name had also cropped up in the murder case of Aam Aadmi Party leader Virendra Mann in Narela.
Lawyers' Strike
The lawyers in Delhi have announced to go for a one-day strike on September 25 over the firing incident inside the courtroom.
The coordination committee of all district courts bar associations of Delhi chairman, VK Singh, in a notice said that they have resolved in a meeting that working in all the courts of Delhi will be suspended due to revision of security norms on account of Friday's unfortunate incident.
"Members of all district Court bar associations are requested to cooperate and abstain from their work on 25-9-2021," the notice read.
Earlier, when a police team caught Gogi from Gurugram, Haryana, he expressed fear that the cops would kill him in an encounter. Subsequently, he made a video that went viral on social media. At that time, Gogi was arrested along with gangster Kuldeep Fazza, who was later killed in an encounter with the Delhi Police.
Gang rivalry
Gogi's known enemy, gangster Tillu Tajpuria is still a gang operator in Tihar Jail, along with notorious crook Naveen Bali, Kaushal, and gangster Neeraj Bawana.
The rival Tilu gang, whose two members killed Gogi in a Rohini Court, was involved in constant strife with the Gogi's gang which often resulted in a bloodbath of the members of both the gangs.
In March this year, Gogi's close confidant and childhood friend Monu Mann was also killed by the Tilu gang. Gogi's other associates are noted criminals Lawrence Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, and gangster Kala Jathedi, who has earned a name in the world of crime.
The rival Tilu Tajpuria gang had also been involved in various killings of the members of the Gogi gang, and today's broad daylight murder was a result of the past one year of several clashes.
In February 2020, Gogi gang member and notorious criminal Pravesh murdered Tillu Tajpuria gang's Pawan. To avenge this murder, Tillu Tajpuria entrusted the responsibility to another gang member Akshay, who along with his companions fulfilled Tillu's orders.
Then in July this year on a bright sunny day, suddenly a gang war started between the aforementioned gangs in the Karala area of Delhi and the whole area was resonated with the sound of gunfire. A man, identified as Nilesh, riding a bike was shot several times by the miscreants.
As the police investigation progressed, it was revealed that the brother of the deceased Nilesh was associated with the dreaded Gogi gang of Delhi. Since then a brutal gang war which was undergoing between two gangs came in front of the police.
"After this broad daylight murder of Nilesh, his brother Pravesh was seeking revenge," a source told IANS adding that even before that the Tilu gang acted and killed Gogi.
