Gangster Vinay Tyagi dies after courtroom transit shooting; family alleges police complicity

Haridwar: Gangster Vinay Tyagi, part of the Sunil Rathi gang, died of bullet injuries at a hospital in Rishikesh on Saturday, three days after he was shot while being escorted by police to court, officials said.

Tyagi was attacked on Wednesday as he was being taken from Roorkee jail to Laksar court for a hearing. Police said two men on a motorcycle opened fire on the police vehicle near the Laksar flyover, injuring Tyagi and two policemen in the ensuing shootout.

Tyagi, who sustained three bullet wounds, was admitted to AIIMS-Rishikesh in a critical condition, where he died on Saturday morning. Police said both alleged attackers were arrested on Thursday and later confessed to killing Tyagi due to a personal rivalry.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Dobhal identified the accused as Sunny Yadav and Ajay, adding that both have been charged with murder following Tyagi’s death.

Tyagi's long criminal record

Vinay Tyagi, a resident of Khaikhedi village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, had a long criminal record, with police citing his alleged involvement in 57 serious cases, including murder, attempted murder, extortion, robbery, theft and fraud across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand.

His wife has twice served as head of the Purkazi block in Muzaffarnagar and had also contested an Assembly election as an Independent candidate from the Deoband constituency.

Sources said Tyagi had amassed substantial wealth through criminal activities and owned benami properties worth crores of rupees in Delhi, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and elsewhere. Police said one of the accused shooters, Sunny Yadav, had previously worked for Tyagi and was out on parole despite being a murder convict at the time of the attack.

Family alleges medical negligence

However, Tyagi’s family has accused the police of complicity in the killing and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). His sister, Seema Tyagi, who was present at AIIMS-Rishikesh, alleged that deliberate negligence in medical treatment led to his death in order to suppress the “truth”.

She also claimed that Tyagi had expressed fears of a conspiracy while in hospital, alleging the involvement of certain individuals and police officials. Seema Tyagi said her sister-in-law’s life was also at risk and called for security for the family, along with a CBI inquiry into the entire episode.

Addressing reporters, she alleged that a doctor and a prominent contractor from Dehradun had conspired to seize Tyagi’s properties. “First, these two sent Vinay to jail on false charges. After that, they held Vinay's wife hostage for two days and released her only after forcing her to transfer the ownership of land worth crores of rupees to their names,” she said.

The Tyagi Mahasabha, a community organisation, also termed the death suspicious. Its office-bearer Praveen Tyagi alleged that the murder had taken place with police connivance, claiming officers wanted to avoid a direct encounter.

PTI