INDIA'S PACOIT MENACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 267, 10 November 1928, Page 7 (Supplement)

INDIA'S PACOIT MENACE.

BREAKING! U UP. SPECIAL FORCE AT WORK. NATIVE FEAR OF BANDS. In a remote area of - India, in the native States of Gwalior, '• Dholpur, Bharatpur, Karauli, Datia and Jaipur and in the British possessions of the United Provinces, bands of brigands have been devastating villages, committing appalling atrocities and raiding all and sundry. ' • Fearless men, bloodthirsty,- cruel and devoid-of all sense of decency, these desperadoes have attacked farms, villages and even towns, and have left behind them hundreds of dead and maimed. The wild nature of the countryhas aided them in their nefarious ■ exploits, and until recently they held com- • plete sway wherever they appeared, there being none sufficiently, strong to fight them and none willing to offer resist- '. ance, which always resulted in barbaric reprisal. .Women were assaulted, children blinded,'grain stores fired - , men mutilated and every possible kind of loot • was removed. For years these wandering jgangs have been suffered to tour the country. ' Their' strongholds were inaccessible, their members united by a common creed to kill, and there was none '"-. able to'offer any offensive without .■involving pertain death, and worse. ,'A Casual Discovery. . Eecently, however, F. Young, a Britisl police officer, was placed in command of a specially, appointed force of dacoity police,, whose only duty it was to seei put and rid the country of these desperadoes. *The chances of success appeared to be remote. The country in many parts was unexplored, though well known to the dacoits, arid there was little chance of gleaning information oi the Drigarids' movements, due to the villagers', fear of v consequent tortures ;• indescribably horrible. by the despera.does. The' first gang, however, was broken iip and the leaders captured following a ;. casual discovery. The village of Barera, in the Muttra" district,' was attacked by dacoits under a notorious leader named Ad Bam. The special docoity police were well on the> track.of this brigand, and the knowledge that police were in the neighbourhood decided. the villages to resist the attack:- Ad Bam was beaten off, and two of his men were severely' wounded'. He managed,. how - "" ever, to" carry off the injured men, hopinj •'■V. later to be.'able to take'them back tc their stronghold in Dholpur. But thej \ rapidly became worse. Ad Bam feared pursuit, 'and not' wishing to. be hampered with wounded men he-executed them, throwing their headless bodies intc >- . a well. /Some time later the dacoity police visited the village and were showr .•/.the deealpitated remains. There was ric . clue to ;the identity of the deceased noi .>.." to whOiWas guilty of the crime.

In the meantime arrangements had teen made to raid Dholpur State in the hope of capturing a notorious rebel leader named Bansi, chief of the Chambal Khanjars, the most": dreaded of all criminal tribes. The-raid was made and Ad Earn was arrested. With him two followers were also captured and one, hoping for mercy, turned King's evidence. He stated how Ad Ram had raided Barera, how two of his men had been wounded and executed. The second raid concerned Hira, Banis, Pirbhoo, Gyasia and Hazara. These five men, all of desperate character, captained five gangs which sometimes worked separately and at others in cooperation. Their stronghold was in Dholpur, and the first to fall was Hazara, who was found sleeping peacefully in a field around which a police cordon was being drawn. Pirbhoo was the next rebel to be attacked. He had dug himself in. on the banks of the Chambal River, and his camp was practically inaccessible, and certainly could I not he reached without the alarm being raised. .But Pirbhoo, who for years had raided with impunity, discredited the abilities of the police, and fearlessly left his ravines at night to cross the river and join his compatriots. The -police opened fire, which was returned, but Pirbhoo and three lesser leaders were wounded and captured. Eventually 12 depots were captured and 27 women, 20 children and 40 ponies were seized. Afraid of the Light. Hira owes his capture to superstition. He and his followers were encamped in a village. News of their position reached Mr. Young and he advanced with his force to the scene. The village ,was surrounded, and the attack was timed for midnight.' The sign for action was the firing of a Verey light. As the ': green flare soared into the air, fierce '.. cries' Were heard and the advance was . made. But there was no resistance. [ ■ Hira was found hiding behind a refuse '. bin, shaking with fright. He had seer I the green light and was sure that the [ vengeance of the Hindu gods had . descended - upon him and his followers f He was' seized with his entire band, whe , easily could have escaped in the under--3 growth had they not become distraught . with fear. i And so the.work of.ridding India oi x ' lawless bands. of criminals proceeds, With the end of this-year the States should be clear of what for years:has '' been the fear of every villager, landj owner and merchant—the Chambal e Khanjars.