4 Bihar Gangsters Killed In Major Delhi Encounter
According to officials, the gang was involved in a series of murders, extortions, and contract killings, often publicising their crimes on social media. An audio clip recovered by police revealed a major conspiracy allegedly planned by Ranjan Pathak, the gang’s kingpin, to disturb peace before the state elections.
NEW DELHI: A violent crime trail that stretched from Bihar’s Sitamarhi to the national capital ended early on Thursday morning in Delhi’s biggest encounter since 2019, when a joint operation by the Delhi and Bihar Police killed four wanted gangsters. The slain men, part of Bihar’s Sigma & Company extortion gang, were allegedly planning violent strikes ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The encounter, conducted jointly by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police and the Bihar Police, took place around 2.20 am on Bahadur Shah Marg in Rohini. The accused, Ranjan Pathak, 25, Bimlesh Mahto alias Bimlesh Sahni, 25, Manish Pathak, 33, and Aman Thakur, 21, all residents of Sitamarhi district, were killed during the operation, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Surender Kumar said at a press conference.
According to officials, the gang was involved in a series of murders, extortions, and contract killings, often publicising their crimes on social media. An audio clip recovered by police revealed a major conspiracy allegedly planned by Ranjan Pathak, the gang’s kingpin, to disturb peace before the state elections.
Ranjan, described as a “dreaded criminal,” carried a ₹50,000 reward and was wanted in eight criminal cases, including five in the past three months, four of them for extortion-cum-murder. He was also accused in the September 26 murder of Ram Manohar Sharma alias Ganesh Sharma, 40, a former Brahmarshi Sena district chief in Sitamarhi.
After Sharma’s killing, the gang circulated notes to local journalists and posted messages on social media, claiming they had delivered “mrityudand” (death penalty) to their victim. “Pathak was openly challenging the police on social media and in audio messages,” officials said.
On October 13, Ranjan allegedly demanded extortion money from a man, threatening to kill him if he did not pay. The call was made after the Model Code of Conduct came into effect for the November 6 and 11 Bihar polls.
The other three gang members also had multiple cases registered against them for murder and extortion.
Aman Thakur, with a ₹25,000 reward, was linked to four cases, including those on September 26 and October 13. Bimlesh Mahto, also carrying a ₹25,000 reward, was involved in four similar cases. Manish Pathak was named in two cases, including the September 26 murder.
During the encounter, the accused, travelling in a car with a fake number plate, opened fire when police intercepted them. About 25 to 30 rounds were fired from their side, while police responded with 15 to 20 rounds, officials said. The four were injured in the exchange and later declared dead at a Rohini hospital. Police recovered five pistols from the vehicle.
The accused had been under surveillance for the past three days after Delhi Police received inputs from Bihar Police. The last major encounter of a similar scale took place in June 2019 in Chhatarpur, where gangster Rajesh Bharti and his associates were killed.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14.
