UP Police Shoot Dead Two Prime Suspects Linked To Haryanvi Singer Ankit Balyan's Murde

Two suspected shooters wanted in the murder of Haryanvi singer and YouTuber Ankit Balyan were killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police and the Special Task Force (STF) in Shamli on Monday, police said. The men, identified as 24-year-old Sumit and 22-year-old Mohit, were both residents of Sonipat in Haryana and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each. According to Shamli Superintendent of Police Narendra Pratap Singh, the two were intercepted travelling on a motorcycle near National Highway 709AD around 4 am and asked to surrender.

Instead, police said, the pair opened fire on personnel and attempted to flee, prompting retaliatory fire near an Indian Gas warehouse on Kairana Road that left both critically injured. They were taken to the District Joint Hospital in Shamli, where doctors declared them dead during treatment. Two SWAT team head constables, identified as Harvinder and Pradeep, were also injured in the exchange. Investigators recovered pistols along with dozens of live and spent cartridges from the scene.

Police said Sumit and Mohit were among four assailants who allegedly attacked Balyan outside his gym in Shamli's Kotwali area around 6:45 pm on August 26, while two additional suspects are alleged to have conducted reconnaissance beforehand to identify the singer's location, bringing the total number of people implicated in the case to six. Officials said the four shooters travelled to Shamli by separate routes before regrouping to carry out the attack, and that Balyan died at the scene after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Preliminary checks showed Mohit had roughly 14 criminal cases registered against him in Haryana, while Sumit faced one prior case.

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The 32-year-old singer, known for songs including "Bhari Court Mein Goli Maarenge Meri Jaan," had built a following of more than 3.66 lakh subscribers on YouTube. A day after his killing, a person claiming to represent the Gogi gang took responsibility in a social media post, citing the singer's alleged links to gang rivals as well as a song associated with him. A video of the attack later circulated online, appearing to show Balyan emerging from the gym and walking toward his car when the shooters opened fire, with reports indicating as many as 20 rounds were fired in the space of roughly 25 seconds.

Balyan's killing had already triggered public unrest and a political row in Uttar Pradesh, with protests blocking a nearby highway and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticising the state government over what he described as a collapse in law and order. Speculation had also circulated that Balyan may have intended to contest upcoming panchayat polls, though authorities did not confirm this. Two more suspects linked to the case remain on the run, and police said the investigation into the wider network allegedly behind the murder is continuing.

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