Madhya Pradesh: Bandits rule the roost as ‘terror industry’ thrives

Rewa: A multi-crore “terror industry” is being run by bandits in western Madhya Pradesh for the past four decades and the dacoits’ domination has failed to subside despite encounter killings and arrests of several dacoits.

Dacoits literally rule over people in 80 tribal villages with a population of around two lakh in the Satna-Rewa range. They are also used by some political parties during elections to influence tribal voters, said a senior police officer posted in the region.

The dacoits are mainly from three dominating communities of the region, Kol, Patel and Yadav. Around a dozen dreaded bandits have been killed and more than 300 gang members arrested in the past one decade.

The 90 sq km Satna-Rewa region in western Madhya Pradesh, bordering Uttar Pradesh, has a  hilly terrain and thick jungles that serve as a perfect haven for dacoits. They run their “business” of extorting money from local contractors and businessmen and kidnapping government officials for ransom from here.

Four pockets of Satna-Rewa range such as Majhgawan and Nawagaon blocks in Satna district and Jawa block and Panna valley in Rewa district are the worst affected by the dacoit menace. Dreaded Lalit Patel (25) was killed in a police encounter in a jungle under Nawagaon block under Chitrakoot in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh recently. “With his killing, a chapter in dacoit history of the region has come to an end,” Satna district superintendent of police Rajesh Hingankar said.

According to the police, primarily three gangs, one led by tribal bandit Babuli Kol, Gauri Yadav and Mahendra Passa, are currently ruling the terrains of Satna-Rewa region. Babuli Kol, who carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, is considered to be the most dreaded among them.

“The geographical location of Satna-Rewa region coupled with an impoverished local population has turned the region into a breeding ground of dacoits,” Simran Singh, a college lecturer in Satna told this newspaper.

A couple of local landlords, cousins in relations, were recently abducted by the gang of Mahendra Singh Passa aka Mahendra Singh Dhoni — as the 33-year-old dacoit is known for sporting long hair like cricketer M.S. Dhoni used to during the initial days of his career.

The two victims, residents of Hardoi village under the Rewa region, were held captive in a jungle in Chitrakoot region of Uttar Pradesh for four days before being released after a ransom of `6 lakh was reportedly paid for each of them. A fortnight earlier, a retired forest officer and a doctor were kidnapped by another notorious gang, led by Gauri Yadav from Dhabhora area. According to police circles, a ransom of Rs 10 lakh each was paid to secure their release.

Passa carries a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, while Yadav has a bounty of Rs 45,000. “Passa and Yadav gangs are active in a few pockets in Rewa district,” said B.P. Singh, sub-divisional police officer, Dhabhora block, Rewa district.

Police carrying out a combing operation to nab dacoits in Satna jungle.

“The headmaster of a government high school in Mudiyadev village under Bouranda police station in Satna district was recently abducted by the Kol gang. As per local villagers, a ransom of Rs 5 lakh was paid to set him free,” said a resident.

Like the Satna-Rewa region, the Tarari forest region, which includes border areas of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, has seen no less than 37 major dacoit gangs in the past two decades. Prominent among them have been Shiv Kumar Patel aka Dadua, Ambika Patel alias Thokia, Balkhadia Patel, Rajuava Yadav, Lalit Patel (all of them killed in police encounters) and Babuli Kol.

“The dacoits target high-salaried government employees such as lectures, doctors, engineers and forest officials and abduct them for ransom. The ransom amount ranges anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50 lakh,” intelligence sources said.

Traders and contractors dealing with forest produce and government projects are also targeted for extortion by the gangs. Many of these businessmen are abducted or killed  if they fail to pay the “protection” money.

Three people from Satna district, Munna Yadav of Thur Pahad village, Ram Prasad Raidas of Thadi Patdania village and Indra Pal Yadav of Pathra village, were kidnapped and then burnt alive in Bharat Koop forest in Chitrakoot region for this reason recently.

According to a conservative estimate, proceeds from abductions for ransom and extortions could be anywhere between Rs 20 crore to Rs 21 crore per annum per dacoit gang.

“This is a conservative estimate. The earnings may be much more considering the dacoits’ inter-state operations in the Chitrakoot region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,” a senior police officer told this newspaper.

Only a handful of kidnapping cases by dacoits are brought to the notice of police, while a majority go unreported, police sources said.

In most cases, family members quietly pay the ransom to secure the release of their relatives held hostage by dacoits without informing the police for fear of retribution, said Prateek of Adivasi Adhikar Manch, an NGO working in the most backward tribal villages of Satna district.

“If a gang leader is killed, then another member in the gang takes over its leadership to keep the terror business running,” said social activist Ram Naresh Yadav of Jawa in Rewa district.