
The resistance in ab is parallel to all other resistances. Since all the resistances other than Rb is 4Ω the potential is zero(Vx=Vy) as the upper branch will become a case of balanced wheatstone bridge between {V}_{x}&{V}_{y}. So, the simplified circuit looks like the one below.

Hence, the equivalent resistance is
Req1=81+81+161=165⇒Req=516Ω=3.2Ω
