Ankit Balyan, a Haryanvi singer and YouTuber, was killed on Wednesday evening by four armed assailants outside a gym in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district.
As the investigation continues, the police are looking for a motive behind the murder.
Shot at 18 times
The incident took place around 7pm near the Aryapuri drain embankment, as reported by HT earlier. According to the police, Balyan was shot at least 18 times, from which he sustained five bullet injuries.
“The victim was a singer named Ankit Baliyan… He was a well-known singer with many videos on YouTube. He had been working out at a fitness gym; as he stepped out–around 6:55 PM–four unidentified individuals arrived in two vehicles and opened fire. He sustained gunshot injuries. Although police personnel were present and immediately rushed him to the Community Health Centre (CHC), the doctors were unable to save him,” ADG Meerut, Bhanu Bhaskar, told ANI.
Eyewitnesses told police that the attackers were waiting outside the gym and opened fire as Balyan came out and approached his SUV.
Police stated that the killers forced open the vehicle’s door and fired at the 32-year-old before fleeing on motorcycles.
Gogi Gang takes responsibility
As per a report by ANI, the Gogi Gang has claimed responsibility for Balyan’s killing. A social media post allegedly linked to the Gogi gang went viral for claiming responsibility for the murder.
The Shamli Police are currently investigating this viral social media post.
The viral post claims that Ankit had created a song featuring a similar theme to the killing of Gangster Jitendra Gogi, who was shot dead inside Rohini Court.
Shamli SP N.P. Singh said police are investigating the post and are working on the lead to determine whether there was an old dispute.
Cops are also looking into the speculation that Balyan was planning to run for the upcoming panchayat elections in the region, which could have led to his killing.
