The shocking shootout inside a Delhi court on Friday, in which a notorious gangster was killed along with his two attackers, was monitored "live" on the phone by another gangster jailed in the Tihar prison, sources say.
Jitender Maan (Gogi), wanted in over 30 criminal cases, was killed by two armed men dressed as lawyers when he was brought to court escorted by special security. Both the shooters were shot dead. Since then, two more have been arrested.
Gogi's long-time rival Tillu Tajpuriya was behind the killing, the police say. Tillu, according to sources, was in constant touch with the attackers- Rahul Tyagi and Jagdeep Jagga - and others involved. He had access to a phone, which reveals another huge security lapse involved in the court shootout.
Tillu was taking minute-to-minute updates from both the shooters sent to kill Gogi, according to police sources.
"He was even asking them how far they were from the Rohini court and when they would reach," the sources said.
He was also in touch with two more aides, Vinay and Umang, who have now been arrested. He had allegedly asked the two to reach the court and give him live updates.
Tillu reportedly panicked when he called the shooters for their latest location and learnt that they were already inside the court amid heavy police presence -- setting their plan in motion. He realised that it would be difficult for his men to escape the police and cut off the call, sources said.
Tillu allegedly called his two other men immediately. When they told him they had reached the parking lot at the Rohini court, Tillu asked them to run away, sources said.
The entry of armed men in the court complex, all the way to the courtroom, is being investigated as a major gap in security.
The revelation that a gang boss planned and oversaw a killing using a phone inside the high security Tihar Jail, Asia's largest prison, without the police finding out adds to the enormity of the lapse.
Sources point out that had the gangster's phone been discovered and seized at any time during the incident or its planning, the killings may have been prevented.
Gogi and Tillu, who were apparently friends in college before they fell out, ran extortion rackets. Over the past few decades, the feud between the rivals led to many killings.