Jitendra Gogi, who ran a gang that has been implicated in dozens of cases, including murder, kidnap, extortion and land grabbing, was facing murder and extortion charges
One of India’s most notorious gangsters has been shot dead in a Delhi courtroom after members of a rival gang disguised themselves in lawyers’ cloaks and opened fire.
The shooting took place as Jitendra Maan, alias Gogi”, previously one of Delhi’s most wanted men, entered the court to face murder and extortion charges. Police returned fire, according to officials, killing two gunmen.
Gogi, 30, ran the infamous Jitendra Gogi gang, which has been implicated in several cases, including murder, kidnap, extortion and land grabbing. For years, he had also been embroiled in a feud with another group, the Tillu Gang, a rivalry that had led to a number of deadly shootings, according to police.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the security measures in place in Delhi’s courts, with many questioning how the men were able to barge into the Rohini court complex carrying weapons.
Most cases are being heard virtually because of coronavirus restrictions, and few people were present in the courtroom at the time of the shooting, a lawyer, Satyanarayan Sharma, told Agence France-Presse.
Sharma, who was attending the court for a different case, called for a thorough investigation into the lapse.
The Delhi police commissioner, Rakesh Asthana, said officers escorting Gogi acted swiftly and killed the assailants. Footage taken at the building shows police officers outside the courtroom bracing to respond as gunshots are heard. Indian media reported that as well as the three who were killed, one lawyer was injured.
Security measures at the court, in particular the functionality of metal detectors, were under investigation, Asthana said.
Gogi’s rivalry with the Tillu gang – run by the jailed leader Sunil Tajpuria alias Tillu – seemingly dates to their time as students at Delhi University.
Gogi was apparently bitter that Tillu and his associates had beaten his friend in student elections in 2010, according to the Hindustan Times. The dispute escalated in 2012 when Gogi’s gang allegedly shot one of Tillu’s friends, prompting years of warfare that has played out across the capital. The two gangs went on to run extortion rackets across Delhi.
Gogi was arrested in March 2020 after escaping from police custody and eluding the authorities for four years. At least 10 teams of Delhi’s crime branch and special cell had been seeking his arrest, police told media at the time. He had managed to flee while being taken to a court hearing in Haryana. A reward of at least £4,000 4 lakh rupee (£4,000) was reportedly offered for his arrest.
After his escape, his was repeatedly named by police in relation to high-profile murders. This includes the killing of Harshita Dahiya, a singer popular in Haryana state, in 2017. Gogi was accused of murdering Dahiya at the request of her brother-in-law, whom he had met in jail. In exchange, the brother-in-law had apparently agreed to help Gogi kill one of his opponents, according to the Indian Express.
The following year, in June 2018, Gogi was named in relation to another attack, where four people were killed, including two bystanders, after men opened fire in a street in north Delhi’s Burari. Among the dead was a 17-year-old man who was apparently the nephew of one of Tillu’s associates.
In 2019, his aide was accused of the murder of Virender Mann, an alleged criminal who had run unsuccessfully in assembly elections in Narela, outer Delhi. He died after being shot as many as 25 times.
Police eventually managed to arrest Gogi in 2020 after one of his close associates posted a picture of their trip to Starbucks on Facebook. The image showed three paper cups, topped with whipped cream and syrup, bearing the names Rohit, Gogi and Fajjie. Officers visited several branches of the coffee chain, and eventually traced his location to an outlet in Gurgaon.
Responding to questions over the security arrangements at the court on Friday, Astana told NDTV: “The question on whether the metal detectors were not working in the court premises is a matter of investigation and I cannot comment on that at the moment. We are already investigating the case and we shall not spare anyone who is involved in this shootout. No one will be spared.
“Delhi police is doing its job seriously. We were effective and focused and that is why the shooter was successfully neutralised.”
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