The Ranga Billa Kidnapping Case was a notorious rime in New Delhi in 1978. Two children, Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, were kidnapped by two young men, Ranga Khus (Kuljeet Singh) and Billa (Jasbir Singh), who planned to demand ransom from the parents of the children. Their plans went awry when the car they were in was involved in a traffic accident with a public bus.They subsequently murdered the children and fled from Delhi. They were arrested on a train a few months later, tried, and hanged for the crime in 1982.[1] The crime was an important psychological turning point for residents of Delhi in changing their perceptions of living in a reasonably safe city to one of living with crime.
Contents |
The children were reported missing on 26 August 1978 and their bodies discovered on 29 August 1978.[2] It later transpired that they had been kidnapped while hitching a ride from outside Gol Dak Khana near Connaught Place.
Both culprits were found guilty and the court gave death sentence to them. Both were hanged later on.
In 1978, the Indian Council for Child Welfare instituted two bravery awards for children under the age of 16, the Sanjay Chopra Award and the Geeta Chopra Award, given each year along with the National Bravery Award .[3]
The Janata Party, which was ruling Delhi at the time of the incident, was defeated in the 1978 elections partly because of its handling of the Billa Ranga case.[4]