Slain gangsters accused in five contract killings in Bihar, gave ‘death sentences’ to their victims

Ranjan Pathak (25), Bimlesh Mahto (25), Manish Pathak (33), and Aman Thakur (21), were killed in a joint operation of the Delhi Police and Bihar Police around 2.20 am between Dr Ambedkar Chowk and Pansali Chowk, police said.

Krishnan said that the gang would issue notes to the public and media claiming responsibility for the crimes they had committed. One instance was the murder of one Ram Manohar Sharma alias Ganesh Sharma (40) at Lagma village in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, he said.

After two men on a motorcycle had shot Sharma dead on September 26, Ranjan Pathak released a “note” on social media, and called up local media houses to give his reasons for killing Sharma, police said.

The purported note said “Sigma and Company” in bold lettering on top. Below it were the words: “Nyay, Sewa, Sahyog”, which translates to “Justice, Service, Cooperation”.

The purported note listed eight alleged “gunaah” (crimes) that it said Sharma, the murdered man, was guilty of: “vishwasghaati” (betrayer), “gaddar” (traitor), “taanashah” (dictator), “beimaan” (dishonest), “taskar” (smuggler), “charitraheen” (immoral), “mahapatit” (great sinner), and “dabangai” (arrogance).

Sharma was a former Sitamarhi district chief of the Brahmarshi Sena, a private militia that once claimed to represent the interests of upper-caste Bhumihars mainly in the districts of Bhojpur, Aurangabad, and Jehanabad in southwestern Bihar. Brahmarshi Sena was one of the several caste armies patronised by landlords in Bihar in the 1980s and 1990s to protect themselves against Naxals and other left-wing extremists.

The purported note from Sigma and Company, however, said they had no animus towards any caste or community, and their fight was against corrupt police officers and the administration. There were many reasons for eliminating Sharma, “atah, gunahgaar ko mrityu dand diya jata hai (Therefore, the criminal is sentenced to death)”, it said.

The purported note, which was signed “Founder Bharati Kapur Jha (BA Hons LLB)… Ranjan Pathak and all its members”, made an apparent threat to the gang’s targets: “Those who have given Rs 11 as blessings, get ready to receive Rs 111 as a return gift.”

Before Sharma’s murder, the gang had allegedly shot dead one Aditya Kumar on July 18 in the Bajpatti police station area, ADGP Krishnan said.

Days later, on August 21, a case was filed at the Dumra police station against the gang after one Madan Kumar Kushwaha was shot five times in an alleged contract killing.

And on September 29, three days after Sharma was killed, the gang shot dead one Shravan Yadav inside his shop in Choraut, as part of a contract killing worth Rs 1.17 lakh, the officer said.

The gang also allegedly demanded Rs 45 lakh and threatened the complainant with death, as per a case registered on October 13 at the Garha police station.

The ADGP said all the four alleged gangsters had extensive criminal records in Sitamarhi and nearby districts.

Ranjan Pathak of Radhour Malahi village was wanted in at least eight cases, including murder and extortion; Aman Thakur of Dostiya village was accused in four serious cases; Vimlesh Mahato of Ratanpura village in Bajpatti faced four criminal cases; and Manish Pathak of Malahi village was accused in multiple murder cases.

“A reward of Rs 50,000 each had been announced for the arrest of Ranjan Pathak, Rahul Jha, and Kapoor Jha, and Rs 25,000 each for Vimlesh Mahato, Aman Thakur, and other gang members,” Krishnan said.

The Bihar Police had been conducting raids in Ludhiana, Delhi, and other cities based on technical and human intelligence inputs. “Information was received about the gang members hiding in Delhi and demanding extortion money. The Sitamarhi Police team camping in Delhi, along with the Delhi Police, was trying to arrest them when the encounter took place,” he said.