Two suspected shooters in the Haryanvi singer and actor Ankit Baliyan murder case were shot dead in an encounter with state police and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) in Shamli, news agency ANI reported.
Baliyan, 32, was fatally shot in Shamli district on Wednesday evening as he stepped out of a gym. After his death, a viral social media post allegedly linked to the Gogi gang claimed responsibility for the murder.
ALSO READ: 18 rounds fired, one hit his head: How Haryanvi singer, YouTuber Ankit Baliyan was killed
According to the police, four unidentified individuals arrived in two vehicles and opened fire at Baliyan when he stepped out of the gym around 6.55 pm. He sustained gunshot injuries and while he was rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC), the doctors were unable to save him.
What led to encounter of suspected shooters
Narrating the sequence of events that led to the encounter, Shamli SP Narendra Pratap Singh on Monday said the suspects were spotted after police implemented a blockade plan from midnight to 6 am to ensure vehicles could not enter the district without being checked.
“Today, around 4.00 AM, while SHO Virendra Kasana of Hijana was conducting checks near his station, he spotted a motorcycle approaching from the direction of Karnal. He attempted to stop it. Two criminals were riding the bike; they immediately opened fire at him. He had a narrow escape, although his vehicle was hit by a bullet. He immediately sent a message over the wireless,” Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.
“The suspects’ vehicle sped away and turned towards Kairana. When they reached beneath the Manna Madra bridge, SHO Dharmendra Gautam of the Kotwali station was conducting checks. He tried to stop them, but they fired at him, shattering the vehicle’s windshield. He immediately challenged them. The suspects turned left towards the city; however, since an alert had already been broadcast over the wireless, our SWAT team, surveillance in-charge, SHOs, CO City, ASP, and CO Kairana all arrived at the scene. Subsequently, the suspects suddenly swerved their vehicle to the right, towards this area,” he said.
(With ANI inputs)
