Delhi police nab fugitive Rajinder Bairagi after 28 years on the run
The Delhi Police crime branch has arrested Rajinder Bairagi, who evaded capture for 28 years after being linked to a 1998 murder of a Haryana police officer.
Delhi Police’s crime branch announced the capture of Rajinder Bairagi, a wanted killer tied to the 1998 shooting that killed Haryana police constable Jai Bhagwan. After escaping custody in February 1999, Bairagi built a new identity as Rajender Singh Yadav in Mungaoli, Madhya Pradesh, where he worked as a clinic operator and property dealer while raising a family. A renewed investigation into two unsolved attempted murders from 1997 uncovered his false documents and led officers to his residence.
Employing traditional surveillance and digital footprint analysis, the team verified his daily routine and moved in with a raid conducted by inspector Sanjay Kaushik, SI Deepak Kumar and others. The arrest also resolved the long-standing murder case from the Saiyan Khera wedding shooting. Special CP (crime) HGS Dhaliwal highlighted Bairagi’s transition from a former kabaddi player in Sonipat to a career criminal.
Why it matters
The arrest ends a decades-long manhunt and demonstrates police capability to solve cold cases.
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