4 most-wanted gangsters from 'sigma gang' killed in Delhi. Who were they?
The members, affiliated with the 'Sigma and Company' gang, had allegedly been planning a major criminal operation ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections.
A joint operation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the Bihar Police led to the killing of four most-wanted gangsters on Thursday. The late-night encounter reportedly took place after the gangsters first opened fire on the cops, forcing the police to retaliate.
The gang members, affiliated with the 'Sigma and Company' gang, had allegedly been planning a major criminal operation ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, which is why the Delhi and Bihar Police had laid down a trap to catch them in Rohini.
Who were the gangsters?
The four gangsters were part of the Ranjan Pathak gang, also known as Bihar's notorious gang, 'Sigma and Company'.
Its head, 25-year-old Ranjan Pathak, was also among those killed in the Delhi encounter. According to an NDTV report, Ranjan had a history of challenging the Delhi Police using social media posts, and had a reward of ₹25,000 on his arrest.
The other three members were identified as Bimlesh Mahto alias Bimlesh Sahni (25), Manish Pathak (33), Aman Thakur (21), all natives of Sitamarhi, Bihar. They were dangerous criminals who were allegedly wanted in multiple cases, armed robberies and murder among them. They were reportedly facing cases in Bihar's Dumra, Chaurat, Gahra and Purnahiya.
According to news agency ANI, the gang was allegedly involved in the killings of Brahmashri Sena district head Ganesh Sharma, Madan Sharma, and Aditya Singh in Bihar.
Contract killers who could have 'disrupted' Bihar polls
The Bihar Police defines the four gangsters and contract killers, and revealed after their encounter that they had been planning a major criminal operation, that could have disrupted the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
"The gang was committing crimes almost every month. They were contract killers...They had named their gang 'Sigma and Company,' and that itself indicates their intentions. Elections are about to be held in Bihar. We made a significant effort to gather information on this gang," said Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar.
The Bihar Police, in coordination with the Delhi Police Crime Branch, laid out a trap to catch the accused in an operation in Rohini at around 2:20 am on Thursday. However, the gangsters reportedly opened fire, prompting the police to also fire shots.
After a brief exchange of fire, the gangsters were hospitalised, where they were declared dead. Forensic and crime scene examination teams were called in after the encounter.