Gang Ho: Dahod haunted by Chaddi-Banyan Dhari gang

Some of them believe that these dreaded criminals are aided by supernatural powers, which give them the agility to scale mountains and traverse dense jungles on foot and then suddenly ransack one village after another in just one night. Dahod district, as the police say, is the meeting ground for all such gangs operating in the state.

With poverty and lack of employment, police officials say the district provides the excuse for committing crime to these men, who are mostly equipped with knives and sickles and an occasional country revolver.

“This year, there have been 15 such incidents within the district of which at least half were detected. However, it is not just one particular gang. There are several gangs operating in and out of the region. Some gangsters work for two to three gangs at the same time,” said Dahod Superintendent of Police Vipul Aggarwal, who feels the police have been trying their best to nab them.

A similar perspective about these gangs was shared by Sub-Inspector D A Parmer of the Limkheda police, who is now investigating a loot case that occurred early morning on November 7 in Jirnai village. Aggarwal said that is the abject poverty in these tribal districts that leads to the formation of such gangs.

“Investigations reveal that these men work as unskilled labourers in big cities like Ahmedabad or even northern districts such as Banaskantha, barely making both ends meet with large families to tend to,” said Aggarwal. Police officials from Dahod estimate that over 50 such gangs are operating in the area.

Parmer said that a group of 20-22 men ransacked the house of one Shankar Dangi, while he was asleep. “The informers had made special marks in front of his house. We are sure the informer is from within the village and knew that Dangi was keeping jewellery for his daughter’s marriage,” said Parmer. “It is quite possible that dacoits could belong to the same community as that of Dangi, but they did not prosper as much as Dangi did over the years,” he added. The Limkheda police said the robbers decamped with Rs 43,000 and gagged and blindfolded Dangi inside the house.

However, for Parmer and several police officials investigating such cases, penetrating tribal societies to find culprits has been a major problem. “There are people who aspire to become rich quickly but have been subjugated by social or tribal mores for long. They rebel and form gangs to attack the villagers,” said Parmer.

The Dahod Superintendent of Police said that police teams from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Ujjain, Jhabua, and even Bangalore have been visiting recently to investigate various highway loots in the city. “We have been conducting combing operations along with teams from various states to catch these gangs. The police also conducted a combing operation in 10-15 villages on Friday night after the loot in Limkheda,” said Aggarwal.

Festivals, marriages or any gathering serves as a meeting point for these gangs, who would return home to the district after months of labour.

“During festivals such as Holi, many such gangs are formed. Victims are chosen from within or without the community in the towns where they work and attacked,” said Aggarwal.

The police can barely match the agility and speed of the dacoits. “These robbers can walk up to a distance of 20 kilometres barefoot in just 45 minutes. They are very agile. When it comes to villages, their knowledge of jungles is way beyond the understanding of the police, which often becomes a hurdle for us,” said Aggarwal.

On several occasions, these men hide in the jungles, on treetops, for days, waiting for an opportune moment to attack their prey. Murders in such loots only occur when the victims raise a cry, the police said. “Most of the time, they use sticks, swords or sickles. Use of guns is restricted only to sophisticated gangs,” said Aggarwal.

The sophisticated gangs are few and are active in Dahod. They change their mobile numbers frequently, often knowing that the police are close on their heels.

“These gangs often change their mobile numbers and only important members get to use the mobile phones,” said Aggarwal. However, even for a sophisticated gang, Aggarwal said, there is hardly any political backing.

Why Chaddi-Banyan Dhari gang?
But why this name Chaddi-Banyan Dhari Gang? Although there are no past records that first referred to these incidents as the handiwork of Chaddi-Banyan Dhari Gang, policemen in Dahod immediately associate their tribal identity with the name. As one policeman from Dahod Control retorted, “What do you mean by why they are called Chaddi Banyan Dhari Gang? It is because they are tribals. Don’t you know?”

Senior police officials say that as per the victim accounts, these robbers are dressed in their undergarments, which is a tactic to avoid confusion in identification. However, police officials also say that most of them just wear a loincloth or locally available towel.

To catch a thief…

Dahod’s most-wanted dacoit, Manu Meda, who is known to have three jail break attempts in two months from Dahod, is known to be a member of the Chaddi Banyandhari Gang. Some policemen say off the record that local sadhus have blessed him with supernatural powers that help him escape.

However, for two constables from Devgadh Baria, Meda’s escape from their hands brought them suspension. On September 24, Ratna Bhai Khengar and Narpatsinh Mokamsinh were suspended from the Dahod District Police for their carelessness in handling Meda, who escaped to the forests of Madhya Pradesh. Although the Dahod police later captured Meda within a week, Khengar and Mokamsinh remain suspended. Describing Meda, Mokamsinh said he is capable of doing just anything.