Murder Mystery Series-6: Story of Ranga-Billa, who killed Navy officer’s son and daughter, Ranga was alive for 2 hours after hanging

On 20 February 2022, 22-year-old Mohan Singh Rathod kidnapped the two children of his sister’s sister-in-law in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh. Called sister-in-law’s house and asked for 10 lakh ransom. Said, ‘If not given, I will finish the children.’ The police showed speed and arrested Mohan. The sixth story of the murder mystery is also like this. However, neither did he get the time to demand the ransom nor could his life be saved. Today is the story of Ranga-Billa. Let us tell you from the very beginning…

The story starts from Mumbai
The thing is around 1975. Kuljeet Singh alias Ranga himself used to drive a truck, if he did not like it, he started driving a taxi in Mumbai. The mind was not even here. Ranga asked a man named Sham Singh to do something different. Sham starts talking about Jasbir Singh. Jasbir is like this, Jasbir is like that. Killed two foreigners. earns a lot of money. Ranga said, introduce me. Sham Singh got Jasbir Singh alias Billa to meet him. Now the pair of Ranga-Billa is formed.

Ranga and Billa used to do petty thefts in Mumbai earlier. Slowly he went on to become a big kidnapper.

Ranga-Billa accepted kidpanning and car theft as their work
Ranga and Billa would steal the car in Mumbai and then sell it. Kidnapping children and leaving them with recovery. Once the badge was caught. The police caught him and put him in Thane jail. A few days later, Billa escaped from the jail. After this both of them started committing crime in Delhi and adjoining parts instead of Mumbai. In June 1978, Ashok Sharma’s car was stolen by Ranga-Billa in front of Ashoka Hotel. With this car he committed the biggest crime.

Geeta and Sanjay were standing on the side of the road when Ranga-Billa’s car came.
Naval officer Madan Mohan Chopra lived in Officer Colony of Dhaulakuan. Had two children. Geeta Chopra, sixteen years old. 14 years old Sanjay Chopra. Geeta used to study commerce at Jesus and Mary College. Sanjay used to practice boxing with his 10th studies in Modern School. Geeta once got an offer from All India Radio. He was to participate in an in the groove program of Western Songs on 26 August 1978. It was supposed to be on air the same night at 8.

If Geeta’s voice did not come on the radio, the people of the house got scared.
Geeta was to participate in the program, but brother Sanjay also agreed to go with her. When both came out of the house, a person from the colony gave a lift and left the round post office. AIR Kendra was a short distance away from here. Geeta and Sanjay stood on the roadside waiting for the taxi. Then Ranga-Billa brought a yellow colored Fiat car and made both of them sit on the pretext of giving a lift. Here, mother Roma Chopra sitting in the house opened the radio at 8 o’clock and everyone’s voice was coming there except Geeta. They thought that maybe the program got cancelled.

Geeta had to go to the program, but Sanjay also left. On the way, they were waiting for the taxi, when Ranga-Billa came with the car.

Geeta said to Ranga, where are you taking me?
In the first two minutes, Ranga and Billa saw each other and there was a hint in their eyes. The train was diverted to another route instead of AIR. Geeta said, “Where are you taking you? All India Radio is on the other way.” Both didn’t say anything. Geeta and Sanjay understand that they are trapped. He tried to stop the car. Billa attacked Sanjay’s shoulder and hand with a sharp weapon.

The boy’s entire shirt was soaked in blood, Geeta was pulling Ranga’s hair
Sanjay’s entire shirt was drenched in blood. On the other hand, Geeta started pulling the hair of Ranga who was driving the car. Ranga was trying his best to get rid of the hand. He was simultaneously driving the car and was hitting Geeta’s hands with the other hand. The car went ahead and stopped in the congested area of ​​Shankar Road. Sanjay started shouting loudly by closing his face to the mirror.

Bhagwan Das heard Sanjay’s voice. He was going on a scooter from Bangla Saheb Gurudwara towards North Avenue. When he saw the child crying, he tried to stop him. Another person hanged from the car, but Ranga did not stop the vehicle. Bhagwan Das immediately informed the police. He told that two children are locked in the car, the number of the vehicle is MRK-8930.

DDA’s junior engineer Inderjeet also saw the vehicle. He told that when the car passed at high speed near Lohia Hospital and slowed down further, I saw two children screaming in the car. I tried to stop the car, but the driver fled, breaking the signal. He told the number of the vehicle as HRK-8930.

Ranga and Billa were driving away at high speed. Whoever saw it on the way suspected that something was wrong with the car.

Geeta was raped after killing Sanjay
Ranga and Billa drove the car and reached the Ridge area. The car stopped here and first killed Sanjay. After this both together raped Geeta. After the rape, Ranga was taking Geeta towards the dead body of her brother, when Billa pulled out a sword from behind and hit Geeta on her neck. Geeta died on the spot. Picked up his body and threw it on the side of the road and fled.

140 policemen were looking for 30 different vehicles
Father reached Akashwani’s office at 9 o’clock. When we went inside, I came to know that Geeta and Sanjay did not even come here. Madan Chopra was shocked. They fled to the Dhaulakua police station. Complained to the police, the complaint of kidnapping of two children had already reached the police. The then SHO Ganga Swarup did not take any action. Harbhajan Singh of the police station told Chopra that this matter does not come under our police station area but in Mandir Marg police station, so complain there.

In support of Madan Chopra, many more officers of the Navy reached the police station. Police registered a case of kidnapping and started the search. Around 140 policemen were searching for the children in different parts of Delhi in 30 different vehicles. When nowhere to be found, the police started investigation in the forests. It was raining all day, so it was getting difficult to walk in the dark. The police could not find it.

Police of six states were searching, then there was a reward of Rs 2,000
On August 27, Haryana and UP police also started investigation. Along with Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, the police of Rajasthan also started searching for Geeta and Sanjay. The Haryana Police traced the vehicle, which was first seen by Bhagwan Das. The Transport Department said that the vehicle numbered HRK-8930 is owned by Ravinder Gupta, but that vehicle was not a Fiat. The condition of the vehicle was so bad that it could not even go to Delhi.

Geeta’s body was lying only 5 meters away from the road for two days
On August 29, a shepherd saw the body. He informed the police. Delhi Police reached immediately. The dead body lying just 5 meters away from the road was pulled out. When the search was started around, another dead body was found at a distance of 50 meters. Police officers reached there with Madan Chopra. Madan recognized him immediately. He sat down with his hands on his head. No sound was coming out of his mouth. The policemen took over. When the post-mortem report came, it was found that there were 5 deep wounds in Geeta’s body and 21 deep wounds in Sanjay’s body.

There was a commotion after the body was found. External Affairs Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had gone to explain to the protesters, when a stone hit him in his head.

When the foreign minister went to explain, people threw stones
There was a ruckus in Delhi after the body was found. Inside the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders raised hi-hi slogans against the Janata Dal. There was a demand to resign from the then PM Morarji Desai. Morarji Desai himself went to the victim’s house. When the then Foreign Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to meet the people protesting in Delhi, someone threw stones. Atal ji hit the stone and his kurta turned red with blood. The police were alerted when the government got hurt.

Ranga-Billa left Delhi and fled to Mumbai and then came to Agra.
On 8 September 1978, Ranga-Billa climbed into the compartment of the Kalka Mail which was filled with all the soldiers. When he answered the question, he started bullying. Lance Naik AV Shetty, an officer of the Army, had seen his photo in the newspaper recently, he recognized it. Immediately informed the police and got them arrested. Around 100 policemen in plain uniform were already present at the station to arrest Ranga Billa.

Billa said, Ranga trapped me
After the arrest, the case proceeded very fast. The police interrogated both of them separately. DNA test was done. All the evidence and DNA matched with Ranga-Billa. The sessions court sentenced both to death. Ranga-Billa filed a petition in the Delhi High Court. On 26 November 1979, the High Court also upheld the death sentence. Ranga filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court rejected it and said, there is no less punishment than hanging.

The then President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy immediately rejected the appeal to waive the death sentence.

Ranga and Billa now had the option of sending a mercy petition to the President. He sent the petition to the then President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Like the court, the President also rejected it immediately. Now just the date of hanging was yet to be decided. During this whole action, Billa was always sad and crying. He says that he is innocent, but he is framed by Ranga. On the other hand Ranga would say, “Rab knows everything, I have not done anything.”

Kalu and Fakira hangman were selected for hanging
When all the options of escape were exhausted, the date of hanging was fixed as 31 January 1982. Kalu hangman from Meerut and Fakira from Faridkot were called to hang him. The rope for hanging came from Buxar in Bihar. The jail administration made both the executioners drink Old Monk liquor for 150 rupees at that time. According to the jail administration, a person who is fully conscious cannot take anyone’s life.

The Tihar Jail administration woke both of them at 5 in the morning. Ranga took a bath, but Billa refused to take a bath. Both were brought to the gallows. The hands were tied behind and the face was covered with a bag made of black cloth. On reaching the gallows, Ranga shouted loudly, “Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Shri Akal.” Then Jail Superintendent Arya Bhushan Shukla waved the red handkerchief and both the executioners pulled the lever.

Ranga’s breath was going on even after two hours of hanging
Two hours later, when doctors checked, Billa was dead, but Ranga’s pulse was running as he had stopped breathing at the time of hanging. An employee came down from the gallows and pulled Ranga’s feet. The family members of Billa and Ranga refused to accept the body for the last rites. The jail administration performed his last rites on its behalf. The circle of justice is complete.