Tillu Tajpuriya murder: 6 accused inmates taken for forensic examination

All six inmates of Tihar Jail arrested in connection with the killing of jailed gangster Tillu Tajpuriya were on Friday taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Rohini as part of the investigation, police said.

The accused -- Deepak, Yogesh, Rajesh Bawania, Riyaz, Chavanni and Ataul Rehman -- were taken for photography as well as video recording for comparing the same with CCTV footage of the jail. The CCTV had captured the accused while committing the murder and disposing of weapons, they said.

A senior police officer said Deepak, Yogesh, Bawania and Riyaz were subjected to detailed medical examination by doctors of the forensic department for injuries sustained during the course of the commission of Tajpuriya's murder in Jail No 8.

Their blood samples and nail clipping were preserved and their statements recorded, he said.

"An exhaust fan has also been seized as the frame holding iron arms of the said fan were used by the accused to make four improvised pointed knife-type weapons, which were used to kill Tajpuriya. A notice for preservation of CCTV footages was also given to the jail authorities," the officer noted.

On Wednesday, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was taken to the Tihar Jail for extracting relevant CCTV footages of 26 cameras installed at ward No 5, Jail No 8 of Tihar Prison, police officials said.

"On Thursday, all the six accused along with the FSL team were taken to Jail No 8 in Tihar Jail and the crime scene was recreated. Further, the belongings of accused persons were also examined by the team at Tihar Jail, Rohini Jail and Mandoli Jail," the officer said.

A blood-stained pair of sports shoes, travel bag and a black T-shirt and shorts worn by the accused were also seized.

"A lid of bucket with blood stains was also recovered from the prison cell of the accused along with a piece of wiper stick used by them to dismantle iron grills of the first floor to make way for entering the ground floor to kill Tajpuriya; blood stained blanket bedsheet and a knife were recovered during the police custody remand," the officer said.

On May 2, Tajpuriya was killed allegedly by four members of the rival Gogi gang Deepak alias Titar, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh, and Riyaz Khan who stabbed him "92 times". The four attackers, lodged on the first floor of the prison, cut an iron grille and used bed sheets to climb down, police had said.

Ataul Rahman had allegedly helped the four assailants get rid of the weapons used in the murder, while Chavanni had covered the CCTV camera with a bed sheet during the incident, they added.

Tajpuriya was lodged in Tihar jail since 2016. He was an accused in the 2021 Rohini court shootout, in which gangster Jitender Gogi was killed, and was facing a threat to his life following the shootout.