Moon Gazer continues……

The gang leader of the arrested accused was Jodhan Singh aka Dadaniya of Babina in the Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. The stout, well- built gangster in his twenties was a monster. I still recall his interrogation in my presence after he had ‘opened up’. While confessing to the killings in our cases, in a matter-of-fact and indifferent manner he said, ‘Humney Panchsheel Park mein do insaan maare, Hauz Khas mein ek insaan, Lodhi Road par teen insaan,’ etc. (We killed two humans in Panchsheel Park, one in Hauz Khas and three on Lodhi Road.) For him, and perhaps his gang members, human beings belonged to a species different from theirs. They were remorseless and unrepentant about these killings. His able deputy was Anil Bharose, also from Babina, as was the third culprit Mohinder.

These disclosures made to the police led to the discovery of the stolen articles, and we were able to match the culprits’ fingerprints with the prints picked up from the crime scenes in the above-mentioned cases. The accused told us the various places they had struck, which led to us solving all our sensational cases. Their interrogation and the follow-up fieldwork led to the creation of a huge volume of data on their modus operandi, their customs, habits, lifestyle and so on. Some of the details may be of interest to the readers.

The traditional occupation of these criminals was game hunting. This took them, in small wandering bands, to different parts of the country. At the relevant time, they were found in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. They operated around Jammu, Batala, Ludhiana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. They lived mostly in the vicinity of railway stations. They had very little by way of belongings and baggage. They were unkempt and dishevelled in appearance and roamed around barefoot. They believed that the goddess Devi had blessed them with immunity against insect or reptile bites. Their womenfolk and children usually stayed with them, aiding them in their crimes. Women wore long skirts with pockets and acted as couriers for the stolen property.

To be continued…