Former dacoit among 12 burnt alive in Satna

Eleven persons,including eight members of a family,were killed when the house they took shelter to avoid a volley of bullets...

Eleven persons,including eight members of a family,were killed when the house they took shelter to avoid a volley of bullets was set ablaze by a gang of dacoits in Bichhiyan village of Satna district late on Wednesday.

The twelfth victim,who could not enter the house because he had taken several bullets,was burnt alive by the gang,which was looking for Betu Singh Gaur,their former accomplice.

The gang wanted to avenge the death of their leader Kalua,who was killed in a police encounter and believed that Betu had tipped the police.

Before disappearing into the forests,the gang,comprising eight to ten members,sprinkled 15 litres of kerosene around the two-storey house made of wood and mud and set it ablaze.

Betu was sitting outside his house along with four neighbours when the gang led by Ramsingh and Khardushan opened fire at them. While the rest managed to escape into the house,Omprakash,who was injured in the firing,could not. They doused him with kerosene and set him ablaze, Rewa DIG K P Khare told The Indian Express,adding that the others died of asphyxiation.

The police came to know of the killings when a woman from a neighbouring village informed a nearby outpost. The nearest Majgavan police station is over 20 km away.

Betu,his brother,their wives and four children,were among the victims.

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Betus father Kallu Singh,who was away when the dacoits attacked,said that ever since his son was released from jail he was working as a police informer. He said his sons proximity to the police was the main reason behind the murders.

Khare said Betu and others had eliminated Kalua three years ago. Betu was the only one to surrender and later served a jail term,which ended a year ago.

Home Minister Jagdish Deora said a massive hunt had been launched in the area and the help of Uttar Pradesh Police too has been sought. The killers are believed to have crossed over to UP,which is less than 2 km away.

The murders have embarrassed the MP Police,which has for the last couple of years been sitting on its laurels,saying the state was almost free of dacoits. In the last three years,the police had eliminated several gangs claiming that the once notorious Chambal-Gwalior region could now breathe easy. There is some merit in the polices claim,but they dont seem to have anticipated the emergence of smaller gangs.