NEW DELHI: The Ranjan Pathak syndicate operated as judge, jury and executioner, dispensing ruthless verdicts that left law enforcement struggling to assert their authority. "Itne murder karo, itni goli maaro ki SP ka transfer ho jaaye..." — this was the intercepted phone call that prompted a full throttle, multi-state search for Ranjan and his gang, Sigma & Company, three months ago. Incidentally, it was a brazen extortion call he made on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the encounter, that gave away his cover and ended the manhunt. Even as the gang meted out their own brand of justice, Ranjan had been leaving the law enforcement perplexed by sending out press releases after every murder, detailing the reasons for committing the crime. The letterhead of their releases had a ‘motto'

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