Two alleged Gogi gang sharpshooters killed By India Police ice over Haryanvi singer murder

By Bobby Chacko-

Two alleged sharpshooters suspected of carrying out the murder of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Baliyan have been killed in a police encounter in Uttar Pradesh, India, in a dramatic development just days after the popular performer was gunned down outside a gym.

The Gogi gang is an organised-crime network associated with Delhi gangster Jitender Mann, alias “Gogi”. Gogi was a notorious figure in the Delhi-NCR criminal underworld, with police linking him to cases involving murder, attempted murder, extortion, robbery and other violent offences.

His network operated particularly across Delhi and Haryana, and it has continued to feature in police investigations after his death.

The two men, identified as 24-year-old Sumit and 22-year-old Mohit, were shot during an exchange of fire with police in Shamli early on Monday morning, according to authorities

The Eye Of Media heard that both men were from Sonipat in Haryana and had rewards of Rs 50,000 each announced for information leading to their capture. Police have not revealed whether their killing arose from the announced reward leading to them being identified and reported.

Police said the pair were linked to the notorious Gogi gang and were among the principal suspects in Baliyan’s killing.  The encounter marks a dramatic turn in a case that has shocked the Haryanvi music community and raised fresh concerns about the reach of organised criminal networks across northern India.

Police said officers attempted to stop the suspects near an Indian Gas warehouse on Kairana Road in Shamli. The two men allegedly opened fire at the police team, prompting retaliatory firing. Both suspects were seriously wounded and were taken to the District Joint Hospital in Shamli, where doctors later declared them dead.

Two police personnel were also injured in the exchange, according to officials. Investigators said weapons and ammunition were recovered following the encounter The deaths came only five days after Baliyan himself was killed in a brazen shooting that was captured on CCTV.

The 26-year-old singer was leaving a gym in Shamli at about 6.45pm on August 26 when four attackers travelling on two motorcycles allegedly opened fire on him. Baliyan was critically wounded and taken to a nearby community health centre, where doctors declared him dead.

A post-mortem examination found that he had suffered five gunshot wounds, including two to the head. Other reports said the attackers fired as many as 18 rounds during the assault, underlining the apparent determination with which the killing was carried out.

The murder sent shockwaves through the Haryanvi entertainment industry. Baliyan had built a significant following through his music and social-media presence and was particularly known for his songs and appearances within the regional music scene.

His death also prompted demands from his family for swift action against those responsible.

Baliyan’s father, Satbir Singh, said on Monday that the family welcomed the police action but believed justice remained incomplete because other suspects were still at large.

“We have received half justice,” he said, arguing that the remaining accused should also be brought to justice.

The police operation follows an investigation that has increasingly pointed towards a planned gang-related killing rather than a spontaneous attack.

Investigators have reportedly examined CCTV footage and digital evidence in an attempt to reconstruct the movements of the suspected shooters before the murder. CCTV footage obtained by India Today allegedly showed Mohit and Sumit conducting reconnaissance around Shamli on August 20 and 21, several days before Baliyan was killed.

The footage is said to have provided investigators with a crucial lead in identifying the two men.

According to investigators, the alleged conspiracy involved criminal networks connected to the Gogi gang, with links stretching across Delhi and Haryana and, according to police, involving gangsters operating from jails.

The alleged involvement of the Gogi gang has added another layer to a case that has already attracted intense attention. The gang, associated with organised crime in the Delhi-NCR region, has for years been linked by police to violent disputes, contract killings, extortion and rivalries between criminal networks.

Gang violence in northern India has increasingly intersected with the world of popular regional entertainment, where successful singers and performers can develop enormous audiences and lucrative careers.

In some cases, criminal groups have sought influence through threats, extortion or attempts to exploit celebrity connections.

The Baliyan investigation is now seeking to establish precisely why he was targeted and who ordered the attack.

Police have been examining a social-media post that purportedly claimed responsibility for the murder in the name of the Gogi gang. Authorities have been working to establish whether the claim is genuine or an attempt to misdirect the investigation.

The apparent pre-planning of the killing has also emerged as an important line of inquiry.

Investigators believe the suspected shooters may have monitored Baliyan’s movements before the attack. The alleged surveillance at a hotel in Shamli days before the murder has strengthened suspicions that the shooting was carefully planned rather than an opportunistic act

The police encounter itself, meanwhile, has generated a second controversy.

Authorities have described the shooting as a retaliatory exchange after the suspects allegedly opened fire while attempting to evade arrest. The police account is that officers acted in self-defence.

But encounters of this kind have long been controversial in Uttar Pradesh, where police operations resulting in the deaths of suspects have repeatedly prompted questions over the use of lethal force, due process and the need for independent scrutiny.

Those concerns have already surfaced in the Baliyan case, with opposition figures calling for the circumstances surrounding the encounter to be investigated. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad has questioned the episode and called for an impartial inquiry, arguing that suspects should face the judicial process rather than being killed without a trial

The development therefore leaves the case at a critical point.

Two men whom police identify as key suspects are dead. Their alleged role in the shooting can no longer be tested in court, while questions surrounding the wider conspiracy remain unanswered.

Police are continuing their search for the other suspects believed to have been involved in Baliyan’s murder.

For his family, the encounter has brought some measure of relief but not closure.

Four attackers were reportedly involved in the fatal assault, and at least two remain at large, according to the family and police investigation.

Baliyan’s father has therefore urged authorities to continue pursuing those responsible.

The singer’s death has also left a profound impact on his fans, many of whom have expressed shock at the manner of his killing.

His rise had been rooted in the fast-growing Haryanvi music and social-media industries, where regional artists can now build enormous followings without necessarily passing through India’s traditional film and music establishment.

Baliyan was one of those performers whose popularity extended well beyond a conventional recording career. His music, online presence and public appearances had made him a recognisable figure among fans of Haryanvi entertainment.

His death has consequently become more than a local murder investigation.

It has become a case study in the increasingly dangerous intersection between celebrity, social media and organised crime.

The events of the past five days have moved the investigation at extraordinary speed: a public shooting outside a gym, CCTV evidence allegedly identifying suspects, an emerging gang connection, a police manhunt and, now, the deaths of two alleged shooters in an encounter.

Yet the most important questions remain. Who ordered Baliyan’s killing, why was he targeted, and who were the remaining people involved? ce will ultimately establish the full chain of responsibility? Police have  so far presented the deaths of Sumit and Mohit as a major breakthrough in the case.

However,  with other suspects still being sought and scrutiny now surrounding the circumstances of the encounter itself, the investigation is far from over.

The killing of Ankit Baliyan began with a burst of gunfire outside a gym in Shamli.

Five days later, it has opened into a much wider story involving alleged gang networks, surveillance, organised crime and a controversial police operation — with the search for the full truth about who wanted the Haryanvi singer dead continuing.