In an incident that seemed ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, top Delhi gangster Jitender Singh Mann, alias Gogi, was shot dead in a courtroom on Friday by two assailants from the rival ‘Tilu’ gang, dressed in lawyers’ garb.

The assailants opened fire at Gogi inside the courtroom in Rohini in the national capital where a case was being heard against him.  Gogi was on Delhi Police’s most-wanted list. He was also accused in dozens of cases – including murder, kidnapping, and fraud – in other states.

Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Friday averred that the police force is determined to act against any organized criminal activity in the national capital. “The police are completely determined and if any organized crime activity happens in Delhi, then an effective legal action will be taken against the criminals,” the Commissioner said.

He said that the case has now been transferred to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police. “The crime branch and the special cell of Delhi Police will now investigate whatever incident happened today as such an incident is not possible without proper planning.” His gang was also involved in crimes such as possession of illegal arms, carjacking, and land grabbing.

The two assailants were subsequently shot dead by the police as the incident led to chaos and panic in the courtroom where the judge had commenced proceedings. A woman lawyer was reportedly injured in the firing.

The incident occurred at the Rohini court complex when Gogi was being presented for hearing in a case against him. The assailants suddenly took out their weapons from under their lawyer’s robes and opened fire at Gogi, who collapsed.

A lawyer, who was inside the courtroom at the time of the incident, said that everything happened so fast that they were not even able to take a breath. “The firing began just seconds before the hearing in the case of gangster Gogi. Even Judge Gagandeep Singh was sitting inside the courtroom,” he said, adding that there was utter chaos in the courtroom.

The police personnel guarding Gogi immediately retaliated and gunned down the attackers. “There was an exchange of at least 30-35 rounds of fire between the cops and the attackers,” an eyewitness said.

Sources said that the attackers were from the Tilu Tajpuria gang and the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had input about the possibility of such kind of an incident.

Gogi, who was arrested by the Special Cell in April, was involved in the killing of a Haryana-based singer, who was gunned down by assailants in Panipat in 2017. Gogi carried a cash reward of Rs 4 lakh in Delhi and Rs 2.5 lakh in Haryana.

A Delhi Police spokesperson said that the police team took swift action and launched counter-firing. “Both assailants died along with Gogi,” the spokesperson said.

A woman lawyer was injured in the ricochet. “The bullet first touched the floor and then hit the woman lawyer on her feet,” said a source, adding that she was shifted to a nearby hospital.

The bodies of Gogi and his assailants were taken out of the court in two ambulances. Security was stepped up in the court premises with heavy deployment of CISF personnel soon after the incident.

Assuring that there will be a full investigation into the incident and appropriate legal action will be taken, Asthana said Jitender ‘Gogi’s’ gang used to run extortion rackets and was arrested a few days ago. As such gangsters have tried fleeing from the police custody, the commissioner said, the police team had taken a very strong squad to prevent such an event.

Gogi’s name had also cropped up in the murder case of Aam Aadmi Party leader Virendra Mann in Narela. The lawyers in Delhi have announced to go for a one-day strike on September 25 over the firing incident inside the courtroom.