New Delhi
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested Rajinder Bairagi, alias ‘Dr. Jhatka’, who had been absconding for nearly 28 years in connection with the murder of a Haryana police constable. According to police, the accused was living under a fake identity in Mungaoli, Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, where he was allegedly practicing as an unqualified doctor. A court had previously declared him a proclaimed offender.
Police said that after going into hiding, the accused changed his name to Rajinder Singh Yadav. In 2003, he got married and started a new life under his assumed identity. His wife is employed at a government hospital, and because he treated local residents, he became popularly known in the area as “Dr. Jhatka.”
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), fresh investigation into two pending cases registered at Janakpuri Police Station in 1997 led investigators to Rajinder Bairagi. Based on the new leads, the Crime Branch launched a special operation. Using surveillance and technical intelligence, officers traced his location to Mungaoli and arrested him on August 5.
The investigation also revealed that the accused had allegedly created his new identity using forged documents. Police are now trying to determine how he managed to evade arrest for nearly three decades and whether he received assistance from others during his years in hiding.
According to police, Rajinder Bairagi faces around 10 criminal cases in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, including charges of attempt to murder, escaping from police custody while handcuffed, and other serious offences. In 2008, a Rohini court declared him a proclaimed offender in two cases.
During interrogation, police learned that Bairagi was once a kabaddi player. Investigators believe he came into contact with criminals during that period and eventually became involved in organized crime. His name surfaced in the 1998 murder of a Haryana police constable following a dispute at a wedding ceremony in Sonipat, after which he remained on the run.
Following his arrest, the accused was brought to Delhi on transit remand and produced before the Dwarka Court. The Crime Branch is currently conducting detailed interrogation and expects to uncover crucial information regarding his old criminal cases, fake identity, and possible accomplices.
