A song about shooting a man in court, watched 54 million times on YouTube, allegedly put Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan in the crosshairs of the Jitender Gogi gang — and eventually cost him his life, police said.
The 28-year-old had appeared in the song “Bhari Court Mein Goli Marenge Meri Jaan”. Members of the Gogi gang allegedly believed its lyrics mocked their gang leader’s killing inside a Delhi courtroom in 2021 — at the hands of his arch rival Tillu Tajpuriya — and accused Baliyan of releasing the song in collusion with the rival Tillu gang.
Police said the singer had allegedly been threatened by the gang in 2022-23 when he was in Delhi. He told them he had only acted in the video and had no role in writing the lyrics or composing the music, police said. But the gang allegedly continued to suspect him.
Baliyan was shot dead on the evening of August 26 while leaving a gym in Shamli’s Kotwali area. Officers said he had not told his family or approached police about the threats.
“Ankit Baliyan featured in the song ‘Court mein goli’… As Tillu also belonged to the Baliyan gotra, like Ankit, members of the Gogi gang suspected that the song was intended to insult and provoke them,” said Superintendent of Police, Shamli, Narendra Pratap Singh.
On Monday, police gunned down two of the four men who allegedly shot Baliyan in an encounter in Shamli. Singh said efforts are on to arrest the other two shooters, those who allegedly provided shelter to the accused, and those suspected of being part of the conspiracy.
The events of August 31
According to police, a team was conducting a checking drive in Kotwali in the early hours of August 31 when it spotted two men riding a motorcycle with a Baghpat registration number. When the police signalled them to stop, the men allegedly opened fire and fled.
The police team pursued them. When the road came to an end, the suspects abandoned the motorcycle and again opened fire, injuring Head Constables Harvinder and Pradeep in the hand and leg.
Police said the team retaliated, injuring both suspects. They were taken to a hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. The two injured constables are undergoing treatment.
Police said they recovered three pistols, live and spent cartridges, a motorcycle, a bag, a mobile phone and Rs 5,000 in cash from the encounter site.
The men were identified as alleged Gogi gang members Mohit, 22, and Sumit, 24. They were from Sonipat in Haryana and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each.
Police records showed around 14 cases had been registered against Mohit in Haryana, while Sumit had one case registered against him
How Baliyan was killed
Police said the two accused, while being taken to hospital, told them they had been sent to carry out the killing on the instructions of Haryana-based gangster Rahul alias Bholu Shahpuriya, who is allegedly a member of the Gogi gang.
According to police, Rahul had instructed the two to travel to Shamli and meet two other men. He allegedly provided them with money and weapons and instructed them to kill Baliyan.
Investigators found that the four suspects had visited Shamli on August 20 to conduct reconnaissance of the area before the attack. They allegedly stayed at a hotel in Shamli during the visit.
After the killing, police said, the four suspects immediately fled Shamli, with two travelling towards Baghpat and the other two towards Karnal.
On the night of August 26-27, police said, a social media post surfaced from an Instagram account claiming that the Gogi gang had taken responsibility for Baliyan’s killing.
Gang network under scanner
Police said Rahul, who is believed to be hiding in India, carries a reward of Rs 1 lakh in connection with a triple murder case in Yamuna Nagar in 2024. Police suspect he uses social media platforms, including Snapchat, to communicate with his associates.
Police further said Rahul operates under the direction of Rohit Rana alias Rohit Moi, who is lodged in Tihar Jail, and Rakesh alias Pampu, lodged in Karnal Jail in Haryana. Both are allegedly involved in running the Gogi gang.
Police said Rahul’s cousin Chirag, who is based in Canada, was allegedly behind the social media post claiming responsibility for Baliyan’s killing.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna has announced a Rs 2 lakh reward for the police team involved in the operation and commended them for their courage. He added that said effective coordination between police forces of different states had helped crack the case in a short time.
Sumit (left), Ankit Baliyan (center) and Mohit (right). (Special Arrangement Photos) 
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