Tillu Tajpuriya killed 10 days after murder plan hatched: Police charge sheet

The six suspects involved in the murder of gangster Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya, 33, at Tihar jail had hatched a plan to kill him on April 22, the day he was transferred to the prison from Rohini jail and 10 days before he was stabbed to death, the Delhi Police has said in a charge sheet filed in Patiala House court.

On May 2, Tajpuria was brutally stabbed over 100 times in the courtyard of jail number 8 of Tihar Central Prison, and in full view of the security personnel and other inmates. According to the police charge sheet, filed by the special cell on August 3, Tillu’s murder was a revenge attack for his involvement in the September 2021 murder of Jitender Maan alias Gogi inside a courtroom at Rohini courts complex.

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The police have charged four inmates — Riyaz Khan alias Riyaz alias Gainda alias Sonu, Deepak Singh alias Tittar, Yogesh Singh alias Tunda, and Rajesh Singh alias Karambir — with murder, and two others — Vinod Lal alias Chavanni and Ataul Rehman Khan — with criminal conspiracy in connection with Tillu’s killing.

The charge sheet says that as part of the plan, Chavanni put a bedsheet in front of the CCTV camera installed at the ground floor of the jail so that the incident could not be captured, while Tunda locked the gate of barrack A-2, so that the inmates there, which include gangsters Sonu Daryapur, Vijay Sehrawat, and Pradeep Solanki, could not come out to help Tillu. “They also threatened jail staff and prisoners, who were trying to save Sunil alias Tillu. Accused persons obstructed jail staff while performing their official duties and threatened them to kill. As per statements of eyewitnesses, Ataul Rehman and Vinod alias Chavanni were provoking them to kill Sunil alias Tillu,” the charge sheet says.

Tillu was reportedly associated with the Kala Asauda gang, which has been involved in a long-standing rivalry with Jitender Gogi’s gang. Police believe that the 33-year-old’s killing may have been a result of the turf war between the two gangs. “Tillu was accused as the mastermind behind the killing of gangster Jitender Gogi inside the Rohini court complex in Delhi during a hearing in September of 2021. Tillu was in touch with his associates over call directing them on how to execute the plan,” said a senior Delhi Police officer, asking not to be named.

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The charge sheet says, “To take revenge, they [the six suspects] planned murder in a most cold blooded manner..... Further role of each and every perpetrator was duly assigned as to who will attack Sunil, who will stop the other inmates, jail staff/TSP staff to intervene.”

The special cell in the charge sheet also mentioned that when the forensic team visited the scene of the crime and inspected barrack B-1 at ward number 5, where three of the accused were lodged, it was noticed that someone had written “Gogi Bhai” on the wall with blood. It was later discovered that Riyaz had written this using his own blood after murdering Tillu.

The charge sheet also says that the six accused prepared improvised knives by using parts of exhaust fans installed in the jail premises.

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“Accused Riyaz Khan alias Gainda had broken legs of exhaust fan installed in barrack B-1, in which accused Riyaz Khan alias Gainda, Yogesh alias Tunda and Deepak alias Tittar were lodged. Riyaz Khan alias Gainda and Yogesh alias Tunda prepared four improvised knives with the legs of exhaust fan. They prepared hand grips of the knives by threads/yarns of carpet. They also prepared two ropes by tiding 4 bed-sheets together. They broke the iron grills of first floor by using bed-sheet and wiper stick,” the charge sheet said.

HT had on May 7 reported that after the murder, Tihar jail officers learnt that Tillu’s assailants removed an exhaust fan from the jail premises to prepare the knives used in the attack. It may be noted that after Tillu’s murder, Tihar prison authorities removed all exhaust fans with metal arms.

Mentioning the post mortem report, the chargesheet said that Tilllu’s body had 106 incised/stab wounds. The cause of the death was “haemorrhagic shock via multiple and repetitive stab and incised wound injuries... ante-mortem in nature and fresh in duration”, it noted

Questioning the safety measures of Delhi jails, the charge sheet said the incident has raised questions of security in the mind of the family members of other inmates lodged in the jail.

“They were so cold blooded that as the deceased Sunil alias Tillu was being taken to hospital for medical aid, he was again attacked with knives and his head was crushed with shoes...... This gruesome incident sent shivers across civilized society,” it said.