New Delhi: With two back-to-back killings of members of their rival ‘Gogi gang’ in a month, the Tajpuria gang has not only ended its hiatus, but also reclaimed its spot in the city’s underworld. But what has alarmed investigators is the spectre of a bloody gang war as the Gogi gang is likely to leverage its alliance with Lawrence Bishnoi for a counter-offensive, say sources.According to investigators, Tajpuria gang’s resurgence is being driven by a fresh wave of young recruits and an overseas kingpin — gangster Himmat Chiku has jumped bail and fled abroad — all fuelled by a desire to avenge their fallen kingpin, Sunil Tajpuria. The flourishing extortion and land-grab rackets are incentives too.Over 30 people, includes several bystanders or passersby, have been killed in the feud. On March 18, three people, including a child, were wounded when gunmen opened fire indiscriminately.The blood-soaked saga of Jitender Gogi and Sunil alias Tillu Tajpuria is a grim reminder of how teenaged camaraderie can devolve into a decade of carnage. The two were close friends growing up in the neighbouring villages of Alipur and Tajpur Kalan in Outer Delhi, their bond forged on volleyball courts and in wrestling pits.However, during the 2010 student union elections when they were at Swami Shraddhanand College, they quarrelled over votes and a girl. Soon, they transitioned from student leaders to gang lords.After a few attempted kills, the first drop of blood fell in Jan 2015 when Gogi’s gang murdered Tillu’s close associate Deepak, accusing him in a harassment incident. The following month, Tillu’s gang struck back, killing Gogi’s friend Arun Commando.Gogi was arrested around this time, but fled from custody in 2016, and the murders continued. He allegedly went on to kill Tajpuria’s associate Ravi Bhardwaj and folk singer Harshita Dahiya in 2017. Tajpuria used a juvenile shooter to kill Gogi’s aide Dinesh Karala at the Tis Hazari Courts but failed.The violence escalated with the 2018 Burari shootout, a brazen daylight execution where Gogi’s gang intercepted a car belonging to Tillu’s gang. In a hail of over 50 bullets, several people, including bystanders, were shot at. Gogi was arrested in March 2020. The endgame began on Sept 24, 2021, at the Rohini court. Two Tillu shooters, dressed as lawyers, shot dead Gogi in front of the judge before being shot dead by cops.However, Gogi’s gang stayed afloat, thanks to the alliance he had forged with Lawrence Bishnoi before his death. Many members went abroad and Gogi’s closest aide, Deepak Boxer, ran the gang from Mexico for a while.The gang waited for their moment of symmetry. On May 2, 2023, in the high-security ward of Tihar Jail, Gogi’s aides Deepak Titar and Yogesh Tunda used improvised shivs to stab Tillu over 100 times in full view of CCTV cameras. The killing left the Tajpuria gang crippled and struggling with finances and manpower.Over the past two years, the Tajpuria gang came under heavy attack from the Gogi gang and couldn’t retaliate. In Feb 2024, Gogi’s shooters shot dead two men in a Najafgarh salon. In July last year, Tajpuria’s aide Neeraj was killed.In the past seven months, there was deafening silence. Then came the twist in Dec, as Tajpuria’s ‘Man Friday’ Himmat Chiku fled to Thailand or Dubai via Nepal, say sources. After regrouping the gang, he allegedly got Sahil Solanki killed in Feb and then went on to eliminate Ravi Bhardwaj — a childhood friend of Tajpuria’s killer Deepak Teetar — on March 19. While cops are arresting foot soldiers, the killings seem far from over.
