Four wanted gangsters were shot dead in a joint encounter by the Delhi Police Crime Branch and Bihar Police in the early hours of Thursday. According to reports, the shootout broke out around 2.20 a.m. on Bahadur Shah Marg.
The slain men were members of the Ranjan Pathak gang, a criminal network operating across Bihar and parts of Delhi. Among those killed was Ranjan Pathak, the 25-year-old gang leader. The others were identified as Bimlesh Mahto (25), Manish Pathak (33), and Aman Thakur (21).
Police said that while Aman Thakur was a resident of Karwal Nagar in Delhi, the other three hailed from Sitamarhi district in Bihar.
According to police, the gang had been planning a major criminal strike ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Acting on intelligence inputs, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and Bihar Police teams laid a trap in Rohini to intercept them.
When officers tried to stop the suspects’ vehicle, they reportedly opened fire, prompting the police to retaliate. “All four accused sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Rohini, where doctors declared them dead,” said DCP (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Yadav.
Senior officials from both the Delhi and Bihar Police visited the scene soon after the encounter. Forensic and crime scene investigation teams were deployed to collect ballistic evidence and reconstruct the chain of events. All four men were wanted in multiple cases in Bihar, including murders, armed robberies, and extortion, police officials said.
Gang leader Ranjan Pathak had been wanted in at least eight criminal cases, including murder, and carried a reward of ₹25,000 on his arrest, according to a report by NDTV.
Pathak had previously taunted the Delhi Police through social media posts, openly challenging them and boasting about his gang’s operations. One such audio message, according to investigators, revealed plans for a major criminal act ahead of the Bihar elections.
Officials described the operation as a significant blow to interstate organised crime, noting that the gang had been active across Delhi, Bihar, and adjoining states. The Delhi Police Crime Branch and Bihar Police are now working together to track down remaining associates and dismantle the gang’s wider network.
