Two alleged shooters wanted in connection with the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan were killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police in Shamli on Monday morning, police said. The deceased, identified as Sumit, 24, and Mohit, 22, were allegedly attempting to flee towards Sonipat in Haryana when they were intercepted by a police team.

According to Shamli Superintendent of Police Narendra Pratap Singh, the two suspects opened fire after being surrounded following information received from an informer. Police personnel retaliated, leading to an exchange of around 20 rounds of firing. Both suspects sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to a district hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Police said Sumit and Mohit were residents of Sonipat and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each. Sumit reportedly had one criminal case registered against him, while Mohit was named in 15 cases. Investigators believe the two were among four shooters allegedly involved in the killing of Baliyan. The other two suspects, identified as Satyam and Aryan, remain absconding.

Singer was shot outside gym

Ankit Baliyan, 32, was allegedly attacked on August 26 shortly after leaving a gym in Shamli. According to the investigation, the singer had reached his Scorpio when the attackers surrounded him and opened fire. Police said around 18 rounds were fired during the attack.

Baliyan suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead. CCTV footage examined by investigators reportedly showed four attackers fleeing from the scene on two motorcycles.

The killing had triggered anger among local residents, with protests and road blockades reported after the incident. Baliyan's family had also demanded swift action against those responsible.

Family says action provides partial relief

Baliyan's father, Satbir, welcomed the police action but said the family would consider justice complete only after all those allegedly involved in the murder are brought to account.

His sister Reena also said the family was relieved by the action but wanted the remaining accused to be arrested. She said Baliyan had been the sole earning member of the family and appealed for a government job for a family member. She also sought a stadium in his name.

Baliyan's mother Amresh similarly appealed for the remaining accused to be apprehended. His wife Seema had earlier demanded strict action against those responsible for the killing.

Police personnel injured in encounter

Police said two Special Operations Group constables, Harvinder and Pradeep, were also injured during the exchange of fire. They were admitted to hospital for treatment.

Authorities said weapons and the motorcycle allegedly used by the suspects were recovered from the encounter site. A forensic team subsequently visited the location to collect evidence.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said the investigation had identified four shooters allegedly involved in the murder. He said efforts were continuing to trace the remaining suspects and establish the wider network behind the killing.

Investigation examines possible gang links

Police are also investigating whether Baliyan's movements were being tracked before the murder. Investigators suspect that a GPS device may have been installed in his vehicle and are examining who allegedly supplied and fitted it and who had access to the location information.

Police have also been examining social media posts and videos allegedly linked to individuals associated with the Gogi gang. Investigators are looking into whether the singer's previous songs and alleged rivalry with members linked to the gang had any connection with the murder.

Authorities have not yet publicly established the complete motive or role of every person suspected in the case. The investigation remains ongoing, with police continuing efforts to locate the two absconding suspects and determine whether others were involved.

Encounter follows high-profile murder investigation

The encounter comes five days after Baliyan was killed in Shamli. The singer, originally from Bantikhaira village, was known for songs dealing with themes surrounding crime and gun culture in Haryana.

Police are now examining evidence collected from the murder scene, the encounter site, CCTV footage, digital records and other material as part of the investigation. Officials have said that all suspects connected with the case will be pursued through the ongoing investigation.

The prime accused in the brutal abduction, rape, and murder of an 11-year-old girl in south Delhi was injured in a police encounter late Tuesday night. According to police officials, the confrontation occurred when a team took the accused to the Mehrauli forest area to recreate the crime scene as part of the ongoing investigation.

The accused, identified as Bablu, an app-based cab driver originally from Bihar, allegedly attempted to flee police custody at the site. To prevent his escape, a police team fired at him, hitting him in his left leg. He was subsequently carried out of the forested terrain by security personnel and admitted to a nearby government hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment under tight security.

Abducted While Sleeping on Footpath

The chilling crime came to light early Monday morning. The victim, part of a migrant family of daily-wage laborers, lived on a footpath near CDR Chowk and supported her family by selling balloons. She was one of four siblings.

According to details emerging from police interrogations, Bablu was driving past the stretch early Monday when he spotted the minor sleeping on the pavement.

"The accused confessed that he picked up the girl in her sleep, placed her on the rear seat of his taxi, and drove deep into the Mehrauli forest area," a senior police officer close to the investigation said.

After allegedly assaulting and murdering the child, the accused dumped her body in the dense undergrowth.

Arrested Within Four Hours

The incident was first flagged around 6:00 AM on Monday when the victim's family noticed her missing and raised an alarm via a PCR call to the Mehrauli police station.

Plugging into local intelligence and reviewing a network of CCTV feeds from routes leading away from CDR Chowk, investigators managed to zero in on the suspect vehicle. A combination of digital surveillance and a tip-off from a local informant led to Bablu's arrest within four hours of the initial complaint.

Following his subsequent confession during intense questioning, police teams launched a search operation and recovered the minor's body from the Mehrauli forest. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and forensic teams have secured vital biological evidence from the suspect's vehicle.

Accused Has Prior Criminal Record

Mehrauli police revealed that the accused cab driver has a history of run-ins with the law. Preliminary verification of his background indicates existing police records against him for physical assault and operating commercial vehicles under the influence of alcohol.

While the accused continues to recover from his bullet wound under heavy police guard at the hospital, legal proceedings under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act are being fast-tracked. Further forensic reports from the crime scene reconstruction are awaited.

Nearly five years after one of Ratlam's most chilling crimes, a sessions court has sentenced three men to triple life imprisonment for the murder of an entire family on the night of Chhoti Diwali. The mastermind behind the killings, however, never made it to trial — he was shot dead in a police encounter just days after the crime.

On the night of November 25, 2020, Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda, and their daughter Divya were shot dead inside their home in the Rajiv Nagar area of Ratlam. All three were shot in the head. The crime went undetected through the night. It was only the next morning that a tenant nurse named Jvelika, living on the ground floor, noticed her Activa scooter was missing. When she went upstairs to ask the landlord about it, she found three bodies on the floor, blood still pooling around them.

Police combed through CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding routes. The footage led them to Noori Guest House in Indra Nagar, where one of the accused — Anurag alias Bobby — was eventually traced. Under questioning, he named the others: Dilip Deval, Lala Bhabor, and Golu Bilwal. The latter two were arrested soon after. Dilip Deval, the mastermind, fired at the police team sent to apprehend him and was killed in the retaliatory action on December 4, 2020. A pistol, live cartridges, and looted jewellery were recovered from his rented house.

The case that went to trial rested heavily on forensic evidence. Additional Public Prosecutor Samarth Patidar said 111 material exhibits, 210 documents, and 33 witnesses were placed before the court. DNA from the victims was found on the clothes and footwear of the accused. The scooter used to flee the scene carried Lala's DNA on the handlebars. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the bullets were fired from the pistol recovered from Dilip Deval's house.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Namdev convicted Anurag alias Bobby (33), Golu alias Gaurav (29), and Lala Bhabor (27) on charges of murder and robbery, sentencing each to triple life imprisonment along with a fine.

Dilip Deval was no ordinary criminal. He was a fugitive from Gujarat's Dahod jail, where he had been imprisoned for murder, and had absconded on parole, living in Ratlam under false identity documents. Investigators found he had deliberately chosen the night of Chhoti Diwali so that gunshots would be drowned out by the noise of firecrackers. A separate killing in Ratlam's Kasturba Nagar on May 18, 2020 was also linked to him and his associates.

After the encounter, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had called Deval a "narpishach" — a human demon — saying such people had no right to live in society. All three surviving accused have been in custody since December 2, 2020.