Man charged in solicitation of murder of four people

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A man has been charged with four counts of solicitation of capital murder, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors say Rajesh Bakshi, 54, tried to pay someone to kill his ex-girlfriend, her parents, and her boyfriend. The person he tried to hire was actually an undercover Houston Police Department officer.

Bakshi, an Indian national who lives in Pearland, was arrested on Tuesday following a joint effort by HPD and the Harris County District Attorney’s Major Offenders division.

“This operation saved lives in a very sensitive situation,” said District Attorney Kim Ogg. “Imagine how bad this could have been had it not been uncovered before it got to a real hitman.”

Bakshi had been harassing his ex-girlfriend for months and allegedly had been violent to her in the past, according to court documents. After being rejected by her, he tried to hire the hitman.

Bakshi allegedly made a $1,500 down payment and provided photos of each person he wanted killed and also asked that cocaine be sprinkled near the bodies. He also had nearly $13,000 more in cash available to him when he was arrested. In addition to his demands, Bakshi also provided the hitman with schedules of the four intended victims to help find them more easily.

HCDAO requested the bond amount set at $250,000 for each charge against Bakshi, but it was set at $150,000 each instead. He was forced to surrender his passport and is under an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement hold. 

If convicted, solicitation of capital murder carries a penalty of up to life in prison.