Delhi Police takes wanted killer ‘Dr Jhatka’ after 28 years | Here’s how

New Delhi: A man who spent almost 28 years running away from the law after allegedly killing a police officer has finally has been arrested by Delhi Police. While hiding, he built a completely new life in Madhya Pradesh, where he got married, had children, and worked as a local fake doctor using a fake name.

The 53 year old suspect, Rajinder Bairagi also known as Rajinder Singh Yadav or “Dr Jhatka” was a declared criminal wanted for several crimes in Delhi and Haryana. He had been escaping police since 1999, when he broke away from Uttar Pradesh Police custody while being taken from Ghaziabad Jail to a court in Haryana, an official said on Thursday.

“He was arrested from Mungaoli in Madhya Pradesh’s Ashok Nagar district after a months long multi state operation by the Crime Branch,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Chander Kumar Singh said.

How a wanted killer became ‘Dr Jhatka’

Police explained that the suspect managed to hide for nearly 30 years by making a brand new identity. He got real government ID documents, including a PAN card, voter ID, driving licence, domicile certificate, and an identity card, which helped him blend in with local people without raising suspicion.

At first, he moved to Maharashtra, where he worked as a physical education teacher at a Kendriya Vidyalaya school for about a year. After that, he moved to Mungaoli in Madhya Pradesh, Police said.

“In MP, he adopted the name Rajender Singh Yadav, married a government Auxiliary Nurse Midwife in 2003, started working as an unregistered medical practitioner  earning the nickname ‘Dr Jhatka’  and simultaneously dealt in property and small contracts,” the officer said.

He lived in MP with his wife and two school-going children. His neighbors only knew him by his fake name, making it impossible for anyone to guess his real past.

The 1998 cop murder and escape

Police finally got a clue when the Delhi Police Crime Branch restarted its search for long-missing criminals wanted for serious crimes. Officers were looking into two 1997 attempt to murder cases from Janakpuri police station in Delhi, where Rajinder was declared a wanted criminal in 2008.

While investigating, officers found his connection to the shocking 1998 murder of Haryana Police officer Jai Bhagwan. On May 10, 1998, Rajinder and five armed friends started shooting at a wedding in Saiyan Khera village, Sonipat, after getting into a fight with the bride’s family.

“Jai Bhagwan, the bride’s uncle and a serving Haryana Police personnel, was killed, while another person suffered critical injuries. Rajinder was arrested in the case but allegedly escaped from police custody on February 14, 1999, at Gannaur railway station while being taken from Ghaziabad Jail to a Sonipat court, prompting another criminal case against him,” the officer said.

End of a 28 year run

Through hard work on the ground and digital tracking, police exposed his fake identity despite all the official government IDs he had collected. After confirming where he lived, a police team raided his home in Mungaoli and arrested him.

“The team procured his transit remand, and he was formally arrested in Delhi,” the officer said.

Police confirmed that Rajinder is wanted in at least eight criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, weapon violations, theft, and escaping police custody. Officers are now questioning him to see if he committed any other crimes during his 28 years on the run.

(with inputs from PTI)

Curated by- Ramansh Dhadwal