Netflix’s Black Warrant: Revisiting the Ranga-Billa case, rapist-murder of Navy kids Geeta & Sanjay Chopra and their death penalty

Premiering on January 10, Netflix’s Black Warrant is a first-of-its-kind prison drama led by Zahan Kapoor, with a stellar ensemble featuring Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur, Sidhant Gupta, and special appearances from Rajshri Deshpande, Tota Roy Chaudhary and Rajendra Gupta. From the creative powerhouse of Vikramaditya Motwane and Satyanshu Singh, who serve as showrunners and directors alongside Ambiecka Pandit, Arkesh Ajay and Rohin Raveendran Nair, Black Warrant promises a raw, unfiltered dive into India’s largest prison, Tihar.

Ranga and Billa case

This Netflix series talks about the Ranga and Billa case and how they were hanged. The Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping case also known as the Ranga-Billa case involved the kidnapping, rape and murder of two Navy kids. The incident took place in 1978 in New Delhi.  According to reports the two kids were kidnapped for ransom, but when they realised that they were children of Naval officers, the kids were killed because Ranga and Billa thought their father wouldn’t be able to pay the ransom.

How Geeta and Sanjay Chopra were kidnapped?

Geeta was a second year student of Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi and her brother Sanjay, was a 14-year-old student in the 10th standard of the Modern School. They used to live in the Defense Officers Enclave in Dhaula Kuan. They left their home to participate in a programme called Yuva Vani on All India Radio.

They couldn’t make it to the programme and were kidnapped, raped and murdered by Ranga and Billa. As per the Black Warrant show, the kids took lift from these two men to reach the radio station. But later they realised that they were kidnapped and were taken to the wrong place. The kids struggled to stop the other people on the road. The siblings left their house at 6:15 pm. Their father was supposed to pick them up from the radio station at 9 pm. They were to reach the All India Radio office on the Sansad Marg by 7 pm.

People on the road tried to stop the speeding car of the kidnappers, but they failed. According to reports available on the archive, at 6:30 pm, a man named Bhagwan Dass had noticed a mustard colour Fiat car, while travelling from Gurudwara Bangla Sahib towards North Avenue, near the yoga ashram at Gole Dak Khana. There was another man on a bicycle who tried stopping the car but failed. Dass called the police control room informing about the incident.

When the parents switched on the radio at 8 pm to listen to their daughter, they realised that her daughter’s slot was given to someone else. When the complaint was lodged by Dass, the police didn’t take immediate action. Later two decomposed bodies were found by Dhani Ram, grazing his cows in Delhi Ridge on 28 August 1978, at 6 pm. Parents were called by the police to identify the bodies. They identified the bodies as their children. The autopsy report couldn’t find out whether there was sexual assault or not since the bodies were completely decomposed.

A nationwide manhunt was launched for the killers. They were caught by some army jawans while boarding at Agra, the military compartment of the Delhi-bound Howrah-Kalka Mail.

Both Ranga and Billa confessed to their crime but later said that the police tortured and forced a confession from them. The duo apparently, came to Delhi to escape from Bombay police.

Death sentence for Ranga and Billa

According to reports, on November 16, 1979, justices VD Misra and FS Gill of the Delhi high court in a 128-page order confirmed the death sentences by the sessions court to Ranga and Billa for the murder of the Chopra children in August 1978.

About Netflix’s Black Warrant

Black Warrant talks about this case and more such cases.

(With added inputs from agencies)

WATCH the trailer of Netflix’s Black Warrant here: