Gangster Vinay Tyagi Dies After Daylight Ambush in Uttarakhand, Family Seeks CBI Probe

Gangster Vinay Tyagi died from gunshot wounds sustained during a police transfer in Haridwar. Assailants attacked the vehicle, also injuring two officers. Two former associates were arrested, with a financial dispute cited as the suspected motive.

Notorious gangster Vinay Tyagi succumbed to severe bullet wounds early Saturday at AIIMS Rishikesh, three days after a brazen shooting during his transfer from Roorkee Jail to Laksar Court in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district.

The attack unfolded on December 24, when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on the police vehicle carrying Tyagi for a court hearing, striking him multiple times in broad daylight. Two policemen escorting him were also injured in the incident.

Tyagi, who had over 60 criminal cases registered against him across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, underwent surgery and was placed on life support, but internal organ damage from the bullet wounds proved fatal. His body was later released to the family after post-mortem proceedings.

Police swiftly arrested the two prime suspects — Sunny Yadav and Ajay Kumar — both believed to be former associates of Tyagi. Preliminary investigation suggests a financial dispute may have been the motive behind the attack. However, Tyagi’s family has raised serious allegations of police complicity and negligence, claiming the shooting was part of a larger conspiracy to seize his property and suppress information about purported illegal assets and financial dealings. They have demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the circumstances of his death and his treatment in custody.

The incident has sparked broader concerns about security lapses and gang rivalries in the Haridwar-Roorkee region, where organized crime and inter-gang feuds have a long history, often spilling over into violent episodes even under police supervision. Authorities have registered a murder case under relevant sections of the law, and a departmental inquiry is reportedly underway to examine lapses in supervision during the court transfer.