Bundelkhand outlaws seek firearms as ransom

LUCKNOW: Firearms hold more value than money for

bandits active in Bundelkhand

. In a recent case which was reported to Chitrakoot police on Tuesday, Ram Gopal Yadav alias Goppa Singh, a dacoit carrying reward of Rs 1 lakh held a man hostage in forest for 10 hours and allowed him to go only after he promised to surrender his licensed rifle.

The victim

Tulsi Prasad Yadav

is husband of a village Pradhan and paid Rs 25,000 upfront to be released. “Goppa made a demand of Rs 1 lakh and Yadav expressed helplessness to pay so much,” said SHO of Bahilpurwa police station Yaddu Prasad who is working on the case.

After some local villagers intervened, Goppa allowed him to go for Rs 25,000 but asked him to surrender his licensed rifle along with money. Goppa had abducted Tulsi on May 13, when he had gone to get a borewell repaired in Karka village.

Along with half a dozen armed accomplices, Goppa abducted Tulsi at gunpoint and took him inside the forest. As local villagers got to know of the kidnapping, they collected and met Goppa’s men to broker a truce. Rs 25,000 was collected and paid up and Tulsi was allowed to go after 10 hours.

“But Goppa threatened that he would not let Tulsi or his wife

Asha Devi

carry out development works in Kharka and Padharia village cluster unless they paid the Rs 25,000 more and rifle. It is common for bandits to demand firearms as ransom in this belt,” added Yaddu. SHO of Manikpur police station, an area which is also infested by dacoits, RB Singh too echoed similar views. “Relatives of a lot of bandits also apply for arms license. At times they are approved too. Arms are given to ganglords later on,” said Singh.

On Monday Tulsi approached

SP Chitrakoot

and FIR against Goppa and his men was registered on Tuesday at Bahilpurwa police station on Tuesday under IPC section 386, 147, 148 among other sections.