Suspect wanted for Delhi doctor’s murder killed in encounter: Police

Multiple criminal cases of murder, theft and burglary were registered against him in Gurugram, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka

A suspect wanted for a doctor’s murder and burglary at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s house was killed in an encounter in Delhi’s Ashta Kunj area on Monday night, officials said on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of Gurugram police crime branch and Delhi police. (Representative file photo)

The operation was carried out by a joint team of Gurugram police crime branch and Delhi police.

The suspect was identified as Bhim Bahadur Jora, who hailed from Kailali district of Nepal.

Multiple criminal cases of murder, theft and burglary were registered against him in Gurugram, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. According to police, he used to track Nepalese house helps working in posh areas across big cities of India via social media platforms.

He used to flee Nepal with stolen valuables, and re-enter India with a changed identity every time to commit a fresh crime, they said.

Jora along with two associates had strangled Dr Yogesh Chandra Pal, 63, to death inside his residence during a burglary in Jangpura on May 10, 2024. He was carrying a ₹1 lakh bounty declared by Delhi Police.

On Thursday morning, Jora with help of his associate Yuvraj Thapa, who also hailed from Nepal’s Bajura, decamped with valuables worth ₹20 lakh from residence of BJP leader Mamta Bhardwaj at Orchid Petals society in Sector-49.

Thapa, with half of the stolen valuables, was caught while trying to board a bus to Nepal from Anand Vihar ISBT by a Gurugram police crime branch team led by inspector Narender Sharma but Jora managed to escape.

In the course of investigation, it had surfaced that Thapa had acted on the directions of Jora to commit the crime. Thapa was hired to work as a house help at Bhardwaj’s residence hardly seven days back via a Delhi-based private agency.

ACP (crime) Lalit Dalal said that the crime branch team led by inspector Sharma had received a tip-off about Jora planning to commit another burglary in Astha Kunj, Delhi after which a joint team of Gurugram and Delhi police was formed on the directions of the senior officials.

“The crime branch was continuously trying to trace his location to nab him looking at the audacity and impunity with which he was frequently committing crimes,” he said.

“He was traced hiding inside a park and opened fire multiple rounds on our crime branch team soon after spotting them. Police retaliated after warning shots for surrender. However, he kept firing and sustained bullet injuries in the crossfire,” he said, adding the inspector was hit in the cross firing but was saved by the bullet proof vest he had worn.

Jora was rushed to the AIIMS trauma centre but was later declared dead.

Police said Jora before targeting the politician’s residence, Jora had targeted another bungalow in Civil Lines area of Gurugram from where he had decamped with valuables worth ₹3.5 lakh after sedating all the occupants in July this year.