JAIPUR: Once known for being haunted hideouts of moustached bandits on horseback, the infamous Chambal ravines are now witnessing a new era of organised crime. Until a few decades ago, the rugged terrain of Dholpur and Karauli was used as a fortress for keeping hostages in captivity with escape routes unknown to the outside world. But now the rivines echo with the gunfire of automatic weapons as they have transformed into training grounds for a new breed of criminals. The dacoits haven't disappeared, they've simply changed alliances.
The recent arrest of gangster Jeetu Chambal has revealed a deepening nexus between traditional outlaws and interstate crime syndicates. Jeetu, a known criminal from Dholpur, was caught with an AK-47, allegedly procured from Jaipur. However, what stunned investigators even more was the discovery of a makeshift shooting range hidden in the ravines, used to train sharpshooters and hitmen for organised criminal networks, including those linked to Lawrence Bishnoi and Anandpal Singh.
According to anti-gangster task force (AGTF), the hidden range was developed by Jeetu and his brother Ramdutt alias Sonu, a history-sheeter with links to the Anandpal gang. These men have become trainers and facilitators for a wider crime syndicate that stretches beyond Rajasthan's borders.
Gangsters from Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh reportedly used the facility to train with sophisticated weapons before executing high-profile killings, including those of gangster Raju Thehat and Rajput leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.
The network came to light while AGTF was tracing the origin of an AK-47, the existence of which surfaced during the investigation into the murder of Gogamedi, who was shot dead at his house in Jaipur's Shyam Nagar area in Dec 2023.
Among those arrested was shooter Nitin Fauji. During the investigation, it emerged that a man named Mahendra had given shelter to Fauji at his flat in the city. When police searched the flat, they recovered a photo of an AK-47.
Now, more than 18 months later, AGTF recovered an AK-47 from Jeetu Chambal. While AGTF has not officially confirmed whether it is the same AK-47 seen in the photo found at Mahendra's flat, it is suspected that the weapon was being used to train interstate criminal gangs in handling sophisticated weapons.
During interrogation, Jeetu told police that the AK-47 was handed over to him on Kalwar Road in Jaipur by a man who hid it in a cricket kit nearly four months ago. He travelled from Chambal with help from Shivraj Singh, a key associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Jeetu didn't even know his way around Jaipur, requiring Shivraj to guided him to the pickup spot. The weapon came with 34 live cartridges and was allegedly ordered by his brother Ramdutt, who was running the Chambal camp with military-style discipline.
"The traditional dacoits have vanished from the Chambal, but the nexus of the new breed of criminals from the area with organised gangs is a matter of concern," said an AGTF official.
The firing range was being operated professionally, evident from the arrest of one Shyampal Thakur, a wanted criminal with a Rs 15,000 reward on his head, from the ravines of Dholpur on Friday.
Thakur, linked to the Sonu Chambal gang, is accused of overseeing arrangements for gang members who used illegal firing ranges in the Chambal ravines to train with weapons. He is also suspected of being involved in arms trafficking, sheltering fugitives, and relaying police activity updates to the gang. Officials said he played a key role in managing food, shelter, and transport for visiting criminals from Rajasthan and neighbouring states.