Noida: A 2019 shootout with Noida police left Maya Tyagi with bullet injuries in both legs and struggling to walk. But after securing bail in Oct 2024, the Bhati gang shooter returned to Greater Noida – determined to reclaim his place in the local underworld.According to police sources, Tyagi began targeting construction and scrap contractors with threats and demands for money — an attempt to muscle back into the area’s contract business. But it was this bid to regain a foothold that ended in a fresh encounter on Saturday. Tyagi was shot dead in an exchange of fire with cops.A resident of Chhapar village in Muzaffarnagar, Tyagi had 19 criminal cases registered against him across Muzaffarnagar, Noida and Ghaziabad. These included murder, robbery and extortion, besides offences under the Gangsters and Arms Acts. He was also wanted in a firing case registered at Badalpur police station, with a reward of Rs 50,000 announced for his arrest.Tyagi entered organised crime in Muzaffarnagar, where he met gangster Anil Dujana while he was lodged in the district jail. He later worked for Dujana’s gang as a shooter. The association ended after a dispute over a murder case, sources said. Tyagi then joined the network of Randeep Bhati and his nephew Amit Kasana, shifting his base to Greater Noida.Police linked him to the killing of Jhummanpura contractor Devendra Bhati and the Junpat double murder of Rajkumar Sharma and his gunman.In 2019, Tyagi was arrested after a shootout with Noida police in Phase 2. Bullet injuries to both legs left him with impaired mobility, and metal rods had to be inserted later to help him walk. After securing bail, he moved into Bhati’s Greater Noida home. Sources recalled a police raid at Bhati’s ancestral home when Tyagi was found resting on a charpoy. He was not arrested as he was not wanted in the case being probed.Tyagi later stayed with Ompal in Dujana village and allegedly tried to regain control over local contracts by threatening construction and scrap traders. His name surfaced in a firing case outside the house of a village pradhan in Badalpur. Tyagi allegedly went underground after the case was registered.Police said Central Regional Task Force and a Sector 126 police team tracked him down on Saturday. He allegedly fired six rounds when they tried to intercept him. Three cops were injured, and police fired three rounds in retaliation. Tyagi was found with a bullet wound near his chest and declared dead at hospital.A forensic team recovered nine empty cartridges — six from his pistol and three from police weapons — and three live rounds from the chamber. A panel conducted his autopsy on Sunday, with the procedure videographed. His relatives took his body to his native village.
