In a brazen strike inside a courtroom in the Rohini district court complex in New Delhi, gangster Jitender Gogi was gunned down by two shooters alleged hired by his rival. The two assailants, dressed as lawyers, were killed on the spot in a calibrated response by men of Delhi Police’s special cell, who were with Gogi.
There was panic and chaos at the complex although timely action by the cops averted more casualties. People scrambled for cover and ran out of the courtroom as gunshots were exchanged between the cops and the criminals. A total of 12-15 bullets were fired from both sides. Gogi had been on the top of the police’s most wanted list till his dramatic arrest last year.
Shooters came in full ‘advocate attire’
According to police, his arch-rival, Sunil Tajpuria alias Tillu, had orchestrated the hit, with assistance from another gangster, Naveen Bali. The plot was hatched in Mandoli jail where Tajpuria is lodged at present, sources said. The two shooters were identified as Rahul Fafunda, a contract killer with a reward of Rs 50,000 on him, and Jagdeep Jagga.
The incident took place around 1.15 pm, just when additional sessions judge Gagandeep Singh arrived to begin hearing in room number 207. The two shooters had come to the court around 12 pm in full “advocate attire”, complete with black collar bands, blazers and shoes. They were seated in the courtroom.
Gogi arrived with a heavy escort team. As he had been categorised as a very high-risk undertrial, two teams from the special cell were present in the room besides cops from Delhi Armed Police, which escorts inmates to courts from jail. The cops were on an escalated alert because a henchman of the Tillu gang, Sunil, was also to be brought there for the hearing.
As soon as Gogi entered the courtroom, the two shooters stood up, whipped out 7.65mm pistols and fired at Gogi. The cops reacted almost immediately and shot back, with the shooters falling on the floor along with Gogi. The shooting lasted for less than 30 seconds, an eyewitness said.
It was to the police’s advantage that Gogi was accompanied by the special cell sleuths as part of the new security apparatus for high-risk inmates which involves men from the arresting unit to be present when they are being produced in court.
