Helicopter combs Chambal ravines to trace kidnapped villagers

Dholpur, June 20 (UNI) Rajasthan police today called out a helicopter to search the Chambal ravines for seven villagers from Dholpur who were allegedly abducted by the notorious dacoit Jagjivan Ram Parihar.

A first for anti-dacoity operations in the state, the government today sent for a helicopter from Delhi to trace the Parihar gang and secure the release of seven villagers abducted from Gadi Tidawali and Khachorpur villages on June 4.

According to sources, police are under tremendous pressure to rescue the villagers, with residents already angered by the delay in nabbing the dacoits. Moreover, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is the erstwhile maharani of Dholpur.

Inspector General M L Lathar, Superintendent of Police (SP) Anand Srivastav and SP Dholpur Prafulla Kumar were on board the helicopter which combed Dholpur district, and also Bhind and Murena districts in Madhya Pradesh. The helicopter made two rounds of the ravines.

Eight villagers were abducted on June 4 when they were collecting sand and stones on the banks of Chambal.

One of the kidnapped men escaped by jumping into the river but others have since been untraceable.

Parihar carries a cash award of Rs 1.25 lakh on his head and runs his gang from the Chambal ravines. The kidnapping is seen as a retaliation to an encounter on Madhya Pradesh border in May when five of Parihar's men were shot dead and the gang's arms and ammunition seized.

Parihar is known to wait for months before making any ransom calls. Those kidnapped are affluent contractors who transport stones from local mines.

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