Four Wanted Bihar Gangsters Killed in Police Encounter in Delhi’s Rohini

Criminals Linked to Multiple Extortion and Murder Cases; Joint Operation by Delhi and Bihar Police

PTI, New Delhi, Oct 23, 2023 :  Four wanted criminals, allegedly involved in multiple cases of extortion-cum-murder in Bihar and planning a major operation ahead of the assembly elections there, were killed in a shootout with police in Delhi’s Rohini in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.

The operation was carried out jointly by Delhi Police and Bihar Police.

Those killed were identified as Ranjan Pathak (25), Bimlesh Mahto alias Bimlesh Sahni (25), Manish Pathak (33), and Aman Thakur (21), all residents of Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Surender Kumar said at a press conference.

The accused were part of a gang named “Sigma & Company”, which was involved in a series of murders for extortion and contract killings, a senior police officer said. The gang used to put out notes on social media to publicise their killings, the officer added.

Police said an audio clip recovered recently purportedly outlines a major conspiracy being hatched by Ranjan to disturb peace ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.

Ranjan Pathak, the kingpin of the gang and carrying a bounty of ₹50,000, is reportedly wanted in eight criminal cases, including high-profile ones. Describing Ranjan as a “dreaded” criminal, police said that in the last three months, he was involved in five cases, including four for extortion-cum-murder.

He was also involved in the sensational murder of former Brahmarshi Sena district chief Ram Manohar Sharma alias Ganesh Sharma (40) in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district on September 26, officials said.

Following Sharma’s murder, the gang issued a note on social media and circulated it among local journalists, a senior police officer told PTI. “Pathak was openly challenging the police on social media and in audio messages,” police said.

In the most recent case, on October 13, he demanded extortion money from a man and threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay. The call was made after the model code of conduct came into place for the Bihar elections on October 6, the officer said.

The remaining gang members also have multiple cases registered against them for extortion and murder. Aman, who carries a reward of ₹25,000, is linked to four criminal cases, including incidents on September 26 and October 13. Similarly, Bimlesh, with a bounty of ₹25,000, is involved in four cases, while Manish is connected to two cases, including the September 26 incident.

The encounter, which took place around 2:20 a.m. on Bahadur Shah Marg in Rohini, was one of the biggest that Delhi has witnessed in the past seven years, police said.