Billa-Ranga Case Explained: The Real-Life Crime That Inspired Prime Video’s Raakh

The Billa-Ranga case explained—here’s the shocking real-life crime that inspired Raakh and continues to resonate decades later.

- June 15, 2026 | 1:30 PM IST

Prime Video Raakh Bill-Ranga Case ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Amazon Prime Video’s crime thriller web series Raakh has been creating a lot of buzz. The series stars Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre in the lead roles. The series is said to have been inspired by the real-life Billa Ranga case. So let’s find out all the details about the incident that has served as an inspiration for this series.

The Killing of Geeta-Sanjay Chopra

On 26, August, 1978, Geeta Chopra and her brother Sanjay Chopra left their house in New Delhi to participate in a radio program at All India Radio. As per NDTV, Geeta was a second-year student at Jesus and Mary College, while Sanjay was in the 10th standard of Modern School.

They hitchhiked in a car to reach their destination. However, the children of Indian Navy Captain MM Chopra and Roma Chopra never reached the radio station. On August 28, their dead bodies were discovered in the Ridge area of New Delhi.

The Crime That Stole India’s Innocence: The Ranga-Billa Case

In August 1978, Delhi witnessed a crime so horrifying that nearly five decades later, the names Ranga and Billa still evoke fear and anger.

On 26 August 1978, siblings Geeta Chopra (16) and Sanjay Chopra (14),… pic.twitter.com/dy6zmHCgh3

— Divya Gandotra Tandon (@divya_gandotra) June 13, 2026

Investigation revealed that Geeta was raped, and both of them were killed afterward. As per The New Indian Express, the incident angered the public, and even the Prime Minister had to address it in the parliament.

The Perpetrators: Billa-Ranga

As per HT, Jasbir Singh, aka Billa, and Kuljeet Singh, aka Ranga were a criminal duo who had come to Delhi from Maharashtra. On that fateful day, they stole a vehicle and saw Geeta and Sanjay asking for a lift. The brother-sister duo got inside the car near Dhaula Kuan but quickly realized that they were kidnapped.

Many eye witnesses saw two children struggling inside a vehicle as it moved on the road. But the vehicle could not be intercepted by anyone. Geeta and Sanjay were brutally killed, and their bodies were then left in a deserted area. A nationwide manhunt was launched, and Billa-Ranga were eventually caught by army personnel while boarding a train at Agra a few days after the incident.

As per the Telegraph, the two were convicted and sentenced to death. Their hanging took place inside Tihar Jail in 1982. The incident inspired an episode of the Netflix web series, Black Warrant. Journalist Sudeep Chakravarti also wrote a book titled Fallen City that examines this incident and how it changed Delhi forever, as per The Print.

Amazon Prime Video’s Raakh is also loosely inspired by the incident and focuses on the manhunt, along with the victim’s family.