PROFESSIONAL CRIME IN INDIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 49

PROFESSIONAL CRIME IN INDIA.

An Interesting Repobt,

All the ponderous statistical compilations which pour fourth during the year from tha Government presses, says the Times of India, cannot compare in human interest with such a record as the report on special and professional crime prepared by Mr G. M. Billings, Assistant Inspector-general of Police in the North-west Provinces. Mr Billings's pages are like the "Arabian Nights" and the " Newgate Calendar " rolled into one. No wire-drawn speculation about motives checks ita even flow. He has a story to tell, or, rather, a collection of atoriee, and he tells them with a matter-of-fact bluntness befitting a Government reporb. Yet the very baldness of the manner of telling adds to the impressivenes3 of this String of records of midnight raids, of marauding attacks on quiet villages, of hot pursuits and exciting captures, and of tbe . dark ways of Indian poisoners, , Here is a typical story of a dacoity case. A native sub-inspector of police was sleeping one night in a village in the Agra district, and was aroused about midnight by the chowkidar, who told' him that the house of the vilbge Baniah was being attacked by dacoits. Hastily gathering a few villager* the sub-inspector hurried to the Baniah's house, where he found the dacoits pillaging by torchlight. A« he advanced into the ring of light the 'dacoits fired at him, and being armed he quickly returned the fire, wounding one of thorn. The dacoits fired again, and gathered together to rush on the officer. In tbe meantime the villagers had fled, but jusb at the critical moment the chowkidar, with great presence of mind, called out, " Thanadar Sahib, order the wholo guard to firta now." The dacoits, believing that the police guard had arrived, wavered and' finally \ turned tail, draggiDg with them their wounded companion ; but as the unlucky man impeded their flight,' they remorselessly killed Moo, in spite of his pleas for mercy. To prevent hiu identification th»y then, decapitated him, and Severed bis head in twain. The remains wore found next morning in a well and photographed. The photograph was recognised, and led to the capture of the whole of the membera of the gang, j who have now been transported for life. ! Thafc is a rather lurid story of lawlessness hot it ia only one of many. I POLIOS CAPTURES. ' The' police were lncky enough to oapfct-ra : daring the year under consideration a celc- , bra ted dacoifc, named Rustam Khan, the I leader of a garg of 50 scoundrelv. I The bare li»t of tha infamous exploits of Rafltam Khan and his followers fills half a pago. He waa a terror to the countryside, and lo»g eluded the yigiUcce of the police, I but justice OTArtqok him one day on' the I banks of the river Mabawar. Two of hia companions were drowned while trying to eacapa across fche riv«r, but he waa caught, and ended hie career on the gallows. Another notorious dacoit leader, named i Lai Kara, l>*s alto fallen into the hands of. ! the police, and he wii» «nd hie days in th* j Anc.,U'>sn». He organised a formidable band •of voblwi'3, which for year* infested the • Mfrcrut district, and wa3 only arrested - ; ttemvttjfj fche Lreacoery of an associate. j Lai TOsnti, by the way, appear* to hay« ! b'joo a'aorc of Claude Duv*l of dacoits. Mr [ Biillrgs a&ya he waa "a man of exceptional : ir.U-.^iigeece and determination, of a flee | presence, and possessing considerable local | iDflu*nce. His ascanda&cy over his followers waa supreme, and he enjoyed considerable popularity with the inhabiUnts of the disi trict generally, and even with persons oil > poailion and influence." His admirers must ; ha?a Be?u in him something of that subtle charm which ia supposed to encircle the cut- ! throat when he " isn't occupied in crime." In another place there is a reference to an Indian counterpart of Jonathan Wild. A Mmindarinained Indarjifc had rendered tuch valuable assistance in the capture of a prominent dacoit that ho was presented with a sword of honour. Subseqoentiy Indarjit went in for dacoity on his own account, and burned the legs of a goldsmith with a torch to make him reveal his secret store of wealth. Hu has lost bis sword now, fend will be able to spend the remainder of his life meditating upon bis misdeeds. - - | So j m any dacoitiea are committed on money ! lenders that it .would be interesting to know | whetfcer they are all the wor,k,of professional | critntualf, or whether. in x some instances I aggrieved debtors may nob- bo seeking I vengeance. . CtfIiMBRATED POIBONEUB. i i But ifc i& the poisoner who really pluwgss into criratj by " ways tbafc are dark." The dacoii. has a clumsy bludgeoning method, but the poisoner is more elaborate ia his scheme 1 ). There was a man in the Meerufe district who came under Me Billings's notice. This man went to a bhisti and succeeded in convincing him that he was his long-losf; brother. The wanderer gave a feast to celebrate the happy reunion. Nine guests were bidden to the banquet, and when poisoned food had rendered them unconscious tha long-lost brother robbed them at bis leisure. Oae individual, however, had not quite lostt consciousness, and he managed to recover in time to detain the long-lost one until he was arrested. Another ingenious parson set up in business in Fyz&bad as a matrimonial agent. He offered to find wives for aspiring benedicts, and made his liviDg by poufoaing and robbing his clients, until his career of crime came to an inglorious termination in Azamgarh. Many similar examples of perveittd ingenuity might be quoted from Mr Billings'* report.