The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested Rajinder Bairagi, 53, also known as Rajinder Singh Yadav or Dr. Jhatka, ending a 28‑year manhunt for one of North India’s most elusive fugitives.
Wanted for the 1998 murder of Haryana police officer Jai Bhagwan, multiple attempted murders, and escaping custody in 1999, Bairagi was captured in Mungawali, Ashok Nagar district, Madhya Pradesh after coordinated operations across several states.
Police said the accused had lived under multiple aliases, working as a teacher, property dealer, and unregistered doctor, and possessed fake Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID, and driving license documents.
According to investigators, Bairagi fled from Uttar Pradesh police custody at Gannaur railway station while being taken to court in Sonipat. He later moved across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, adopting false identities to evade detection.
The Crime Branch’s Northern Range‑1 team used field intelligence and technical surveillance to track him down. During interrogation, he admitted to living as Rajinder Singh Yadav, earning local trust as “Dr. Jhatka.”
Police confirmed he had been declared a proclaimed offender in several cases, including two attempted murders in Delhi’s Janakpuri and the Jai Bhagwan murder case in Haryana.
