Cops gun down 4 of Bihar gang in joint op

Police say all four men belonged to a crime syndicate responsible for a string of contract killings and extortion operations in north Bihar. Here's what they say happened

- Karn Pratap Singh, Hemani Bhandari, Jignasa Sinha and Avinash Kumar

Four wanted gangsters from a Bihar-based crime syndicate were killed after more than 40 rounds were exchanged ina fierce shootout with a joint team of police from Delhi and Bihar in northwest Delhi's Rohini Sector 32 on Thursday, senior police officers from the two states said.

The men, all from Bihar, belonged to a crime syndicate that had dubbed itself “Sigma & Company”, responsible for a string of contract killings and extortion operations across north Bihar.

The slain gangsters — Ranjan Pathak, 25, the second-in-command of the group; Bimlesh Mahto, 25; Manish Pathak, 33; and Aman Thakur, 21 - were killed after they were intercepted by ajoint team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch and Bihar Police's Special Task Force (STF).

Officials said the group had been “hiding” in Delhi for several days to “evade arrest’, allegedly plotting fresh attacks ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. A senior Bihar police officer said that the criminals had relatives in Delhi, which is why they decided to flee to Delhi toevade arrest.

According to the police, the gang had been preparing to “spread unrest” through targeted killings and extortion in Sitamarhi, Sheohar, and nearby districts, “They were planning high-profile hits to create fear before the elections,” a senior crime branch officer said. Bihar Police had placed a ₹50,000 reward on Ranjan’s arrest, and ₹25,000 each for the others.