The release of Raakh on Prime Video has brought one of India's most disturbing criminal cases back into public discussion. Starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre, the crime drama is inspired by the infamous Ranga-Billa case, which shook the country in 1978. The kidnapping and murder of Delhi siblings Geeta Chopra and Sanjay Chopra not only horrified the nation but also changed how many Indian families thought about the safety of their children.The case remains one of the most remembered crimes in India's history and continues to be revisited through books, documentaries, and now streaming content such as Raakh.What is Raakh about?Set in late-1970s Delhi, Raakh revolves around the aftermath of a brutal crime that leaves families devastated and an entire city living in fear. Ali Fazal plays Sub-Inspector Jayprakash, while Sonali Bendre portrays a school teacher and grieving mother struggling to cope with tragedy.The series is directed and executive-produced by Prosit Roy and created by Sandeep Saket and Anusha Nandakumar. It premiered on Prime Video on June 12. While the show is a dramatised retelling, its inspiration comes from a real-life crime that dominated headlines nearly five decades ago.You Might Also Like:The disappearance of Geeta and Sanjay ChopraAccording to NDTV, the case began on August 26, 1978. Geeta Chopra, 16, and her younger brother Sanjay Chopra, 13, were the children of Indian Navy officer Captain Madan Mohan Chopra. The family lived in Delhi's Dhaula Kuan area.On the evening of August 26, Geeta was scheduled to participate in the popular Yuva Vani programme on All India Radio. Sanjay accompanied her on the journey. Heavy rainfall reportedly disrupted travel that evening. After accepting a lift part of the way from Dr Ms Nanda, the siblings were dropped near Gole Dak Khana, still some distance away from the radio station.They never arrived.You Might Also Like:When the family tuned in to listen to Geeta's programme, they were shocked to hear someone else's voice on air. Concerned, Captain Chopra went to the radio station and discovered that his children had never reached the venue.A frantic search began immediately. For two days, there was no sign of the missing children.Then, according to NDTV's report, their bodies were discovered in a forested area on August 28, by a cattle grazer. The news sent shockwaves across the country.Post-mortem examinations reportedly revealed multiple stab wounds on both victims. Investigators concluded that the children had been killed with a sharp-edged weapon. The brutal nature of the crime horrified the public and transformed the case into a national issue. Newspaper coverage was extensive, and pressure mounted on authorities to identify and arrest those responsible.You Might Also Like:How Ranga and Billa were caughtInvestigators eventually focused on two suspects: Kuljeet Singh, known as Ranga, and Jasbir Singh, known as Billa.According to NDTV, the accused remained on the run for nearly two weeks. Their arrest came on September 8, 1978, after they boarded the Kalka Mail train heading towards Delhi.However, they mistakenly entered a compartment reserved for military personnel. When Lance Naik Gurtej Singh and AV Shetty reportedly asked them to show identification, their nervous behaviour immediately raised suspicions.According to reports from that time, one of the suspects asked the other to produce an identity card that had already been filled out, making the soldiers even more suspicious. By chance, Gurtej Singh had a Hindi newspaper carrying the photograph of one of the country's most wanted fugitives. Noticing a strong resemblance, the soldiers kept a close watch on the pair and handed them over to police when the train arrived in Delhi at around 3.30 am. The arrest marked a major breakthrough in what had become one of India's biggest criminal investigations.Trial and executionRanga and Billa were allegedly charged with kidnapping and murder. The trial attracted enormous public attention. Both men were eventually convicted and sentenced to death. Their appeals were later dismissed, and the death sentences were upheld.According to the same report, the two were executed at Tihar Jail in 1982, bringing an end to one of the most widely followed criminal cases in Indian history. Even today, the names Ranga and Billa remain associated with one of the darkest chapters in the country's criminal records.How the case affected Bobby Deol's childhoodThe impact of the Ranga-Billa case extended far beyond the victims' families. Last year, actor Bobby Deol revealed on Raj Shamani's podcast that the fear surrounding the criminals had a direct effect on his childhood.Bobby recalled that one of his school friends had reportedly been kidnapped by Ranga and Billa but was fortunate enough to escape. According to the actor, "he was the luckiest of all the people they kidnapped. There was confusion between Billa and Ranga… My friend was with Ranga, and the cops were zeroing in on them. Ranga ran and left my friend at a paan shop. The shopkeeper asked him where he lived and brought him home."According to the actor, the friend had mentioned Bobby's name while interacting with the kidnappers. Bobby said the incident deeply worried his father, veteran actor Dharmendra. After learning about it, the family became extremely protective.The actor shared that he was rarely allowed to go out alone and faced strict restrictions while growing up. He even learned to ride a bicycle inside his home because his parents were concerned about his safety.According to Bobby, the rules continued well into his college years. While his friends attended parties and social gatherings, he often had to leave early because of a strict curfew set by his family. He also revealed that the fear did not completely disappear even after Ranga and Billa were arrested and later executed.With Raakh now streaming on Prime Video, a new generation is being introduced to the story of Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, a tragedy that changed countless lives and remains one of India's most haunting true-crime cases.