In a dramatic early morning shootout in Delhi’s Rohini area on Thursday, four members of the notorious Sigma and Company gang, wanted in connection with five criminal cases, including four contract killings in Bihar, were killed in an exchange of gunfire with a joint team of Delhi and Bihar police.
The encounter, which saw over 40 bullets fired, took place around 2:20 am on Bahadur Shah Marg, as the suspects attempted to evade capture in a Maruti Baleno car with fake registration plates.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Surender Kumar, addressing the media at the Delhi Police headquarters, provided details of the operation. He explained that the Delhi Police’s crime branch, in collaboration with Bihar Police, had been tracking the suspects’ movements in the city through technical surveillance and human intelligence. The operation began after receiving specific information from the Sitamarhi district police in Bihar about the presence of the four wanted criminals in Delhi.
“At 2:20 am, our team spotted the suspects travelling in a Maruti Baleno car and signalled them to surrender. Instead of complying, the four occupants opened indiscriminate fire on our raiding team. In self-defence, our team retaliated, and during the exchange of fire, all four men were injured,” Kumar said. The suspects were rushed to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, where they were declared dead by attending doctors at 3:15 am.
According to police accounts, the four criminals fired approximately 25 rounds using a combination of five firearms—four semi-automatic pistols and one country-made pistol. The police team responded with at least 15 rounds during the intense encounter. The deceased were identified as gang leader Ranjan Pathak (25), Bimlesh Mahto (25), Manish Pathak (33), and Aman Thakur (21). While Thakur was a resident of Karawal Nagar in Delhi, the other three hailed from Sitamarhi district in Bihar.
Kumar elaborated on the background of the operation, stating that the Bihar Police had been camping in Delhi to apprehend the suspects, who were wanted for a string of serious crimes in Sitamarhi.
“We received credible information from the Sitamarhi police about the presence and movement of these criminals in Delhi. Our team activated our human intelligence network and employed technical surveillance to track them. It was established that the suspects had been in Delhi for the past two to three days, likely to evade arrest in Bihar,” Kumar said. The crime branch eventually pinpointed the suspects’ location in Rohini, under the jurisdiction of the Begampur police station.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjeev Yadav provided further details on the criminal history of the deceased. Ranjan Pathak, the gang’s leader, was implicated in eight heinous crimes in Sitamarhi, including five murders. Bimlesh Mahto was linked to four murder cases, Aman Thakur to three, and Manish Pathak to two. Collectively, the group were responsible for four contract killings and one case of extortion through threats in Bihar, committed between July 18 and October 13.
Yadav outlined the specifics of the contract killings: “On July 18, the gang killed a man by firing six bullets into his body. On August 21, they shot another victim five times. In a third incident, the date of which has not been disclosed, they fired three bullets at a target. The fourth contract killing occurred on September 29, with the victim sustaining six bullet wounds.”
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A police officer involved in the shootout, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Ranjan Pathak as an emerging figure in Bihar’s criminal underworld. “Ranjan had established himself as an aspiring gangster in Bihar through his involvement in contract killings and extortions. Less than 24 hours before his death, he had threatened an individual in Bihar over the phone, demanding extortion money,” the officer revealed. Ranjan had also been active on social media, where he reportedly posted a video flaunting a pistol, boasting about his criminal exploits in Sitamarhi’s local crime scene.
While the Delhi Police did not officially comment on any political connections the gang might have had in Bihar, three crime branch officers, speaking anonymously, suggested that the four were planning additional contract killings, extortions, and threats targeting individuals in the lead-up to the Bihar elections.
The joint operation underscores the coordinated efforts between the Delhi and Bihar police forces to tackle organised crime and apprehend dangerous criminals operating across state lines. The encounter, while resulting in the deaths of the suspects, highlights the risks faced by law enforcement in confronting heavily armed criminals.
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