What Happened in the 1978 Ranga-Billa Case? The Kidnapping and Murder of Geeta and Sanjay Chopra in Delhi

Key Points:

THE 1978 RANGA-BILLA CASE has returned to the headlines after more than four decades. The horrific kidnapping and murder of Geeta and Sanjay Chopra once sent chills across the country. Years later, the fictional series Raakh, adapted from the real-life Ranga Billa case, has reignited memories of the day the two children lost their lives.

Amazon Prime Video’s Raakh is an eight-part series starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre that follows a crime investigation after the Chopra siblings are murdered in Delhi. The show is based on a real-life incident that shocked the entire country and is still remembered as one of the most brutal cases India witnessed in the 1970s.
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What is the 1978 Ranga Billa case?

It all began on August 26, 1978. Sanjay and Geeta Chopra were the children of Indian Navy officer Madan Mohan Chopra, who resided in the Officers' Enclave in Dhaula Kuan, Delhi. According to several reports, Geeta was 16½ years old, while her brother Sanjay was 14 years old.

The lives of the Chopra family were turned upside down on a single evening when their children left for a radio show. They were scheduled to participate in a programme called Yuva Vani on All India Radio (AIR) near Sansad Marg, New Delhi. The programme was set to begin at 7 p.m., and the siblings left their home at 6:15 p.m. The nightmare began when it was discovered that Geeta and Sanjay had never reached the radio station. Their father, Captain Chopra, reported them missing. 

They were kidnapped for ransom by Kuljeet Singh, alias Ranga, and Jasbir Singh, alias Billa. Multiple witnesses came forward in the case thereafter. The vehicle used in the kidnapping was initially identified by Bhagwan Das, who claimed that he had heard noises coming from a mustard-coloured Fiat car. Das, who was on his scooter, further stated that he saw a girl and a boy having a scuffle with two people sitting in the front of the vehicle. 

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Another witness, named Babulal, who was riding a bicycle, saw the children struggling with their kidnappers and attempted to rescue them, but eventually failed.

The case received massive media coverage at the time, and a police investigation was launched to locate the children. Two days later, on August 28, 1978, the bodies of Sanjay and Geeta Chopra were recovered from the Delhi Ridge. The victims had suffered multiple stab wounds. The autopsy revealed that their bodies had begun decomposing by the time they were discovered, making it difficult to determine whether Geeta Chopra had been sexually assaulted. In the later stages of the investigation, it was revealed that Geeta Chopra's undergarments were missing. 

Public Outrage and Arrest of Ranga and Billa 

An outrage erupted, with people demanding justice for Sanjay and Geeta Chopra. At the time, the government of then Prime Minister Morarji Desai came under intense criticism for the handling of the brutal kidnapping and murder of the teenage siblings. 

Ranga and Billa were arrested on September 8, 1978, while travelling on a train after a passenger, allegedly an army officer, recognized them from a newspaper article. Evidence recovered from the car matched the suspects. Both Ranga and Billa pleaded not guilty in court, which further complicated the case.

They were eventually convicted, and Kuljeet Singh (Ranga) and Jasbir Singh (Billa) were sentenced to death under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, kidnapping, and kidnapping a woman for sexual intercourse, among other charges. Three years later, Ranga and Billa were hanged on January 31, 1982.

[Edited by Harsh Pandey]

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