|
Dreaded mustachioed dacoit gunned down in India
 NEW DELHI - One of India's most wanted bandits was shot dead in a fierce gun battle with a special force, police said on Tuesday. Dreaded dacoit Nirbhar Gujjar had terrorised villagers in the ravines of central Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states for over a decade. He was wanted in connection with two dozen murders and more than 200 kidnappings. The government had announced a reward of 4,360 U.S. dollars for Gujjar.A special police task force had set up an ambush for the dacoit Monday. He walked into the trap and was killed after a gun battle with the police late in the evening that lasted for more than an hour, senior police official Akhil Kumar said. He said the operation was carried out in the jungles near Sitapur village in western Uttar Pradesh. Gujjar, famous for his handlebar moustache and fondness for mobile phones, was a media savvy dacoit. He often gave television interviews during which he boasted of high-level political connections. His gang was armed with heavy automatic weapons. They amassed a fortune by kidnapping small businessmen and wealthy local farmers for a ransom, the police said. The police had been on Gujjar's trail for over a decade but the chase had heated up over the past month with the killing and capture of several of his close associates, Kumar said. The topography of the 37,000 square-kilometre Chambal valley with criss-crossing ravines and dense forests, spread across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states, makes it especially difficult for the police to track the many dacoit gangs operating in the region. India's most famous dacoit Phoolan Devi, the famous "Bandit Queen", also operated in this area. She went on to become a member of Parliament after her surrender. Devi was shot dead outside her official residence in the Indian capital by a gunman in 2001. Another famous brigand, sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, was killed by the police in southern India last year. Posted by: Steve 2005-11-08 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=134420 |