Three accused wanted in the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Balyan in Shamli are set to face property attachment after a competent court declared them proclaimed offenders for failing to appear before police or surrender despite legal notices.
His father, Satbir Fauji, subsequently lodged a complaint. Investigators examined CCTV footage, call-detail records and other digital evidence to identify the assailants. A social-media account purportedly linked to the Gogi gang had claimed responsibility for the killing, but police are verifying the claim. Investigators are probing the alleged roles of the shooters, their handlers and others suspected of planning the murder, while efforts continue to trace the three accused.
A separate FIR under Section 209 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, was registered at Shamli City police station on September 29 on the complaint of SHO Dharmendra Gautam for non-compliance with the legal proclamation. Balyan, a resident of Bantikhhera village in Shamli’s Babri area, was shot dead on August 26 near a gym on the Aryapuri drain track in Shamli city. On August 31, police said two suspected shooters, Sumit and Mohit, were killed in an encounter on Kairana Road. Both carried rewards of ₹ 50,000 each.
Shamli SP NP Singh said police would approach the court for permission to attach the movable and immovable properties of the three accused if they continued to evade arrest. “Despite the notices, the accused neither appeared before the police nor surrendered to the court,” Singh said. Police said notices were pasted at their residences. Police said four assailants on two motorcycles opened fire on him before fleeing.
They had demanded the arrest of the remaining accused, a probe into the wider conspiracy and security for the singer’s family. They also sought employment for a family member and financial assistance. The action comes ahead of an October 5 deadline set by Khap leaders at a September 12 meeting with Shamli district officials, community representatives and Balyan’s family.
