Gogi and Tillu are dead, but their feud lives on: Inside the gang war playing out on Delhi streets

With their deaths, the Delhi Police believed the gang war, too, would cease. But recent shootings in the Capital have shown that it’s far from over.

On March 19, Ravi Bharadwaj (30) was shot dead allegedly by members of the Tillu gang inside his home in Outer Delhi’s Bawana. Ravi’s father and an eight-year-old boy from the neighbourhood were also injured in the firing.

Days later, three of the shooters, including a minor, were nabbed by police teams in two separate operations in Bihar’s Begusarai and Delhi’s Rohini. The police said the crime was carried out by five men; two others are still absconding.

Police said during questioning, the accused admitted that they were acting under the directions of one Tarun, who was further acting at the behest of gangster Naveen Bali. As police dug deeper, they found that Bali had been taking orders from Deepak Pakasma and Himmat Chiku, both close associates of Tillu. The police said that Pakasma and Chiku are believed to be operating from abroad.

The accused also told the police that Ravi was allegedly associated with Deepak Titar, who was allegedly involved in stabbing Tillu at Tihar.

Sources said the gang rivalry has not ended, as members of both gangs are now targeting remaining members on either side.

Police said the main members of the Gogi gang — Yogesh Tunda, Deepak Titar and Dinesh Karalia — are operating from behind bars. Police said several members of the Gogi gang have also teamed up with Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang to go after the Tillu gang.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Yadav said Ravi’s killing appears to be another chapter in the prolonged cycle of vendetta between the two rival factions, in which each act of violence has triggered counter-violence, sustaining a chain of targeted killings over the years.

“The pattern of killings, including the murder of Gogi inside a courtroom, the murder of Tillu inside Tihar Jail, and now the killing of Bharadwaj, clearly demonstrates the persistent and organised nature of the gang conflict, marked by calculated retaliatory attacks aimed at weakening the opposing faction,” Yadav said.

Rivalry that lives on

Police believed the tiff between Gogi, a resident of Alipur village and Tillu, from Tajpur village, started from their college days.

The duo supported different parties during college elections in 2014. Besides, Deepak, a close associate of Tillu, had been pursuing Gogi’s cousin. “He would tease Gogi, saying he would become the family’s damaad (son-in-law),” said a police officer, adding that Deepak was killed on January 20, 2015.

In 2016, Gogi formed a gang with key aides — Kuldeep alias Fajja and Rohit Moi — to eliminate Tillu. However, the balance tilted after the trio’s arrest in Gurgaon, while Tillu aligned with major gangsters, strengthening his network.

Over the years, it only escalated.