New Delhi: Police personnel at Rohini Court, where a shootout took place while gangster Jitender Gogi was being produced, in New Delhi, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. Gogi was killed by rival gang shooters who were later shot dead by the police in the cross-firing. (PTI Photo)
New Delhi, September 24 (PTI): A turf war broke out inside a crowded Rohini courtroom Friday between two rival gangs in which jailed gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi and his two assailants posing as lawyers were killed in the dramatic shootout that also saw police fire bullets in retaliation, officials said.
Video footage of the incident, which exposed security lapses in the system, showed policemen and lawyers rushing out in panic as gunshots rang out inside courtroom number 207.
The two gunmen dressed as lawyers are suspected to be members of rival Tillu gang, an official said, adding that over 30 shots were fired.
Witnesses said a law intern has also sustained bullet injury in her leg and some also claimed that the gang members pumped 10 bullets into Gogi, one of Delhi's most wanted criminals.
Sources said that Gogi received about seven bullet injuries, even as there was no official confirmation from police on this.
Police said the incident happened around 1.15 pm when Gogi, who was involved in over 30 heinous crimes, was taken to the courtroom for a hearing. The armed assailants, who had 0.38 bore and 0.30 bore pistols, were already seated before Gogi entered the courtroom.
Although metal detectors were at the gates of the court, it was not known whether they were working or not, and how the armed men could get past, raising questions about security arrangements.
Advocate Sunil Tomar, who was present in the courtroom for his client's bail matters, said there were 15-17 people in the court of judge Gagandeep Singh when the gangsters opened fire.
"As Gogi entered the courtroom, two persons, who were dressed as lawyers, whipped out their pistols and suddenly opened fire upon him. After hearing gunshots, people started running to save their lives and the judge also went back to his office just behind the courtroom," Tomar told PTI.
"For the first 15 minutes, I could not figure out what was happening there."
Gogi was taken to Rohini court by a 10-member team of Third Battalion of Delhi Armed Police Force. They were also accompanied by personnel of special cell team of Delhi Police.
When Gogi entered the courtroom, the two assailants in lawyers' uniform opened fire on him. Immediately, the personnel from the counterintelligence team retaliated and the two assailants died on the spot, a police officer said.
"One commando had AK-47. They were inside the courtroom and fired a single shot on the head of one of the assailants and he was shot dead. Despite firing from an AK-47, our personnel fired in complete control and there was no collateral damage. No one else sustained any injuries. It was a controlled firing," the officer claimed.
The joint commissioner of police (northern range) has been asked to enquire into the incident and submit a report.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered and is being handled by Crime Branch of Delhi Police.
Lawyers' bodies in Delhi have demanded a probe into the shootout and called abstaining from work Saturday demanding enhanced security norms inside all the seven district courts premises in the national capital.
The 'Coordination Committee of all District Courts Bar Associations in Delhi' called for suspension of work on Saturday and said it will decide the further course of action in a meeting that has been called for Monday.
Police said that it is suspected that Tillu gang was behind the incident, adding that according to initial investigation, the assailants, who were gunned down by security personnel on Friday, have been identified as Jagdeep alias jagga and Rahul Tyagi.
The Gogi and Tillu gangs are reportedly at war for years. Gogi and Tillu Tajpuria, were reportedly friends in college. However, they fell out in 2010, and their feud turned into a gang war.
Gogi was arrested in March last year. Police said that in the last few years, several members of the two gangs have been killed, while many others have barely survived attempts on their life.
Sources said that Tillu Tajpuria is currently lodged in jail number 15 at Mandoli Prison, adding that after the incident, security has been beefed up at jails.
Some lawyers at the Rohini court claimed this is not the first such shootout incident.
"I was stepping out of the court when the incident happened. I heard firing and later more rounds were fired...this (incident of firing) has happened for the fourth or fifth time at Rohini. So, the situation has not improved," said advocate Rajiv Agnihotri.
Gogi, who carried a reward of Rs 6.5 lakh on his head, was arrested along with his three accomplices -- Kuldeep Naan alias Fajja, Kapil alias Gaurav and Rohit alias Koi -- from Gurgaon by a team of Special Cell in March last year, according to police. He was lodged in jail 2 in Tihar.
The Special Cell was on the lookout for Gogi, Fajja and Gaurav for a long time before tracing them to their hideout in Gurgaon.
A few months ago, Fajja had managed to escape from the police custody when he was being produced in the Karkardooma court, another senior police official said.
Since that incident, the counter-intelligence team of the Special Cell escorted Gogi and his associates to the court for hearings, he said.
