14 June,2026 05:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Bobby Deol. Pic via X
Bobby Deol has opened up about a chilling childhood memory linked to the infamous Ranga-Billa case, revealing how the incident left his family living in fear and led father Dharmendra to become extremely protective of him.
Speaking on Raj Shamani's podcast, Bobby recalled that one of his school friends was kidnapped by the notorious duo Ranga and Billa but managed to escape. The actor said the incident had a lasting impact on his childhood and significantly restricted his freedom growing up.
The revelation comes amid renewed interest in the case following the release of Raakh, a crime drama inspired by the 1978 kidnapping and murder of siblings Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, a crime that shocked the nation and remains one of India's most notorious criminal cases.
Speaking about his friend, Bobby said, "When I was in the sixth standard, a friend of mine got kidnapped. But he was the luckiest of all the people they kidnapped." He went on to explain that his friend managed to escape after confusion broke out between the kidnappers.
The actor added, "He was with Ranga, and cops were zeroing in on them. He ran and left my friend at a paan shop. The shopkeeper asked him where he lived and brought him home."
According to Bobby, the situation became even more alarming when police informed Dharmendra that his name had come up during questioning.
"They told my father that my friend was safe, but Billa and Ranga asked him who else was there in his school, and he took my name," Bobby recalled.
After that, Dharmendra drastically changed the way he raised his son. Bobby said, "My father didn't let me leave the house at all. I returned from school and that was it. I even learned cycling inside my house."
The restrictions continued well into his college years. "When my friends started having house parties, I wasn't allowed to go. I had a 9 pm curfew. I would go to friends' houses, help them set up for parties, and leave," he shared.
Bobby also admitted that growing up under such strict supervision left him somewhat sheltered. Looking back, he understands his parents' fears, but believes the experience made it harder for him to adjust to the realities of the outside world later in life.
For the actor, the Ranga-Billa case wasn't just a headline that terrified the country, it was a real-life incident that shaped his childhood for years to come.
