Who was Tillu Tajpuriya, the gangster killed in Tihar Jail

In December 2021, Tillu allegedly sent two assailants who gunned down Jitendra Mann (Gogi gang leader) inside the Rohini court during a hearing. The men were caught, and a chargesheet was prepared against Tillu and his associates for planning and executing the murder.

Police officers said Tillu and Gogi were once friends, but the two became rivals during a student union election at Delhi’s Swami Shraddhanand College. The police said they supported different candidates and got into a fight. Over the next decade, the two men and their gang members targeted each other in the name of gang war and area dominance.

The gangster hailed from Tajpur Village, a hub for local gangsters. As per police, he had ties with infamous gangsters Neeraj Bawania, Sunil Bali, Cheenu and others. He was arrested in 2016 after being involved in over 11 cases of murder, the Arms Act, extortion, robbery etc. The Special Cell of Delhi Police also booked him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The police said Tillu managed to run his gang from inside the jail for years and orchestrated several killings. He is survived by his parents and three siblings. His father was employed at the Delhi Municipal Corporation and retired recently.

Sources said Tillu was involved in murder and dacoity cases in Delhi and Haryana. “In 2015-16, Gogi, along with gangster Kuldeep Fajja, was planning to eliminate Tillu and made several attempts to send associates to jail to kill Tillu. However, the police arrested Gogi and Fajja, and their plan failed. Though Fajja was freed from police custody at GTB Hospital by gang members, he was later killed in a police encounter. Gogi was killed in a shootout at the Rohini court,” said an officer.