A magistrate came to the court lock-up for the seven men who allegedly killed two rival gangsters in a jail van to be produced before him on Wednesday afternoon.The usual practice followed when the accused are produced in court after their arrest was altered due to security considerations, police said.

Before the magistrate, Bawana pleaded for more security while he is in jail, saying there was a threat to his life.

Neeraj Bawana and his six accomplices — undertrials in other cases — were arrested in connection with the murder on Tuesday of two members of the rival Neetu Dabodia gang.

All seven prisoners were brought at the Rohini court complex on Wednesday afternoon under heavy police protection, said police.

Amid fears of a revenge attack by the Dabodia gang, they were not taken to the court room. Instead, police requested the judge to come up to lock-up on the court premises for the hearing.

The magistrate first turned down the plea but later accepted it on security grounds and walked up to the lock-up, police said.

The seven men were sent to judicial custody till September 9 in this particular case, police said. According to police, the plan to kill the rival gangsters was hatched three months ago by the Bawana gang, and Paras was their main target.

A sharpshooter, he was allegedly running the gang after the death of Neetu Dabodia.

According to police, a few months ago, Paras and his accomplices had killed Pandit, an important member of the rival Bawana gang. The murders of Paras and Pradeep in the jail van while all prisoners were returning to Tihar Jail from Rohini court were apparently in revenge, police said.

The seven accused already face several cases of murder and attempt to murder.Bawana said in his plea that his rivals might try to eliminate him during his transportation.