The Hindu : Front Page : Dreaded dacoit Mohar Singh gunned down

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Dreaded dacoit Mohar Singh gunned down

Special Correspondent

He had threatened to outdo dacoit queen Phoolan Devi by killing more people than she did

He was killed in an encounter in the Chambal and Yamuna ravines
Wanted in 21 cases of dacoity and murder, he carried reward of Rs.20,000

LUCKNOW: Dreaded dacoit, Mohar Singh, who was gunned down in an encounter with the police in the Chambal ravines of Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh in the early hours on Wednesday had threatened to outdo dacoit queen Phoolan Devi.

A warning letter recovered from his person at the scene of the encounter near Tejpura village stated that if Phoolan Devi being a woman could kill 22 persons (in the Behmai massacre of February 14, 1981), he (Mohar Singh) would massacre 44 persons. A Home Department spokesman said the brigand’s warning resulted in the exodus of the villagers from Igoi village in the neighbouring Jalaun district.

However, the dacoit’s warning was short-lived as he was killed in the Chambal and Yamuna ravines under the Chakarnagar police station area in Etawah district at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Wanted in 21 cases of loot, dacoity and murder, Mohar Singh carried a reward of Rs.20,000.

One of his accomplices, Surendra Singh was also killed in the pre-dawn encounter. The police party was led by the Senior Superintendent of Police of Etawah, S.R.S. Aditya. Two double-barrel guns, Rs 13,000 in cash, used and live cartridges were recovered from the encounter site. The encounter lasted for about 45 minutes and the dacoits’ identity was established by local villagers, about three hours after they were killed, the spokesman said. The rest of the gang members managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

His end came in dramatic circumstances. During the course of the police operation, the desperado warned the police party that he was “Mohar Singh” and would not hesitate to kill them, the Home Department spokesman added.

The Mohar Singh gang had struck a reign of terror in the Chambal and Yamuna ravines in Etawah and Jalaun districts, which had forced the people of the villages situated alongside the twin rivers to flee. The gang also operated in Kanpur Dehat and Auraiya districts.

Recently, the gang had kidnapped two persons for ransom under the Amrahat police station area in Kanpur Dehat district.

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