On Aug 8, a lavish destination wedding at the Hyatt Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan, took a dark turn when a thief made off with a bag containing jewellery worth Rs1.5 crore ($230,000) and Rs1 lakh ($1,560) in cash.
As the ceremony unfolded and the bride and groom were being blessed, the groom’s mother placed her white bag on a table. Seizing the opportunity, the thief stole the bag and fled to Kadiya village in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district, where he disposed of the stolen jewellery before blending in with a crowd participating in the Kanwar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage.
But he was eventually tracked down by the police. It led to the exposure of his entire gang, who have been wreaking havoc in Kadiya.
NDTV reported that the young thief received training in criminal activities in Kadiya which, along with two other remote villages in Madhya Pradesh – Gulkhedi and Hulkhedi – have gained notoriety as “nurseries” for criminals.
Situated about 120km from the state capital Bhopal, these villages in Rajgarh district are known for training children in the “arts of theft, robbery and dacoity”, reported the publication.
Even the police are known to tread carefully in this region.
Children as young as 12 are sent to these villages by their parents to be trained in criminal activities. The parents, after meeting with gang leaders, decide who can provide the best “education” for their child. To enroll in this grim curriculum, families pay a fee ranging from Rs2 lakh to Rs3 lakh.
The children are taught various criminal skills such as pickpocketing, snatching bags in crowded places, running fast, evading the police and enduring beatings if caught. After completing a year with a gang, the child’s parents receive an annual payment of Rs4 lakh from the gang leader.
These villages have produced some of the most cunning thieves, whose criminal activities have made headlines across India, reported NDTV.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Jaideep Prasad said in the Rajgarh district villages, criminals operate with impunity.
He said the criminals are so skilled that they can assess the value of jewellery without visiting a jeweler.
“Most of the thefts are carried out by children, making it even more challenging to combat this deeply ingrained criminal culture,” said Inspector Ramkumar Bhagat.
According to police officers, if an unfamiliar person enters the village, the residents immediately become alert, especially when they notice a camera or mobile phone.
According to Inspector Bhagat, more than 300 children from these villages have been involved in thefts at wedding ceremonies across India.
“These gangs are highly organised, conducting thorough recces before adopting innovative tactics to carry out their crimes,” he said. “Wealthy individuals also hire the poor children to commit thefts through a bidding process that can reach up to Rs20 lakh.”
NDTV said the scale of this criminal operation is massive, with more than 2,000 people from these villages having over 8,000 cases registered against them in police stations across the country.
